Former NBA Star, Legendary Coach Dies ‘Unexpectedly’ at 59

Former NBA legend and celebrated coach Joe Wolf has died at the age of 59, The Associated Press reported.

Wolf passed away “unexpectedly” on Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks announced. His cause of death has not been made public. At the time he died, Wolf was serving as as assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate.

“Throughout his life, Joe touched many lives and was a highly respected, adored and dedicated coach and player across the NBA,” the Bucks said in their statement. “His well-regarded talent was instrumental for the Bucks and Herd over eight years with the organization, including as a player and coach.”

Wolf began as a captain for Dean Smith in North Carolina before he was drafted into the NBA. Buck played for seven teams throughout his 11-year, 13-season career with the association, including the Boston Celtics, L.A. Clippers, and Orlando Magic. He then segued into coaching, using skills he and Smith had honed throughout their careers to train a new generation of basketball players.

“I like to think I started getting trained the minute I stepped on campus,” Wolf told the Greensboro News and Record in 2018 (via The New York Post). “Coach Smith was all about building the proper habits. That benefits me today.”

Wolf was considered one of the very best players to ever come out of Wisconsin. In 2005, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel named him the state’s greatest high school basketball player of all time.