Kansas graduate John McLendon, who in the book “Breaking Through” was referred to as “the best and greatest coach of all time” by legendary Boston Celtics center Bill Russell, on Friday will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the second time — this time for his accomplishments on the bench.
McLendon was the first college coach to lead a team to three straight national championships (at Tennessee A&I in 1957-59); the first black coach of an integrated professional team (ABL, 1961) and first black coach in the ABA (1969). But he was initially enshrined as a “contributor” to the sport in 1979.