Hughes played six NBA seasons before landing nearly two decades more on the bench as an assistant coach.
Former Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard announced the passing of longtime NBA presence Kim Hughes at the age of 73 this week.
Leonard, who worked with Hughes during the latter’s first three NBA seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, paid tribute with a multi-pronged Instagram post, depicting him in various settings on and off the court with the longtime assistant coach.
“You were like a father. You were my coach. You loved me unconditionally. You pushed me, but always followed up with an arm around me,” the 11th overall pick of the 2011 draft said. “You taught me about basketball, but more importantly, about life. You were a great father and husband, and that’s what I admired most about you … It’s hard to believe you’re gone, and I love you so much, Kim Hughes.”
Portland was the last stop of a lengthy basketball career for Hughes, who starred as a 6-11 center at Wisconsin alongside his twin brother Kerry before entering the pros with Italian club Olimpia Milano. Upon joining the ABA shortly after, Hughes was part of the New York Nets’ 1976 championship squad headlined by Julius Erving and later spent two more tours with the team upon its leap to the NBA the following season. The Freeport, IL native also played for the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers before spending the next eight years on the Italian circuit.
Kim Hughes’ NBA Coaching Career
Hughes returned to the NBA in 1998, when he served as an assistant coach in Denver on the maiden head coaching voyage of his former Olimpia Milano teammate Mike D’Antoni. After five seasons in the Rockies, Hughes joined Mike Dunleavy’s Los Angeles Clippers staff and later spent 37 games as the interim boss when the latter was fired during the 2009-10 season. Hughes then made it to the Pacific Northwest for three seasons before closing things out with another one of his old Italian squads, Viola Reggio Calabria in 2015-16.
The NBA mourns the passing of Kim Hughes (1952-2025). Kim played 6 seasons with the New York Nets, New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers. His coaching career included being head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2010. We extend our deepest condolences to the… pic.twitter.com/NrQDQveHRo
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) September 2, 2025
During his time in Los Angeles, Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer shortly before the 2004-05 season tipped when. When the Clippers wouldn’t cover the cost of his treatments, several of his proteges raised money to cover at least part of the costs.
“Kim was one of our coaches and he’s a really good friend of mine, too,” then-Clippers forward Corey Maggette said, per longtime basketball writer Gery Woelfel. “I thought it was a great opportunity to help someone in need, to do something that Christ would do … Kim thanks me every time he sees me; he does that every single time. It just shows you what kind of person he is, to keep thanking me all the time for that.”
Hughes is survived by his wife Diane.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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