Hall of Fame coach John Kundla turns 100
One of the most decorated coaches in NBA history turned 100 on Sunday.
John Kundla - who has as many rings as the likes of Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley - reached the century mark, making him the oldest living Hall of Famer.
Kundla's roots are entrenched in Minnesota, where he won five NBA championships with the Minneapolis Lakers. Those teams featured George Mikan in the middle and the gregarious figure of Kundla on the sidelines.
"He was a great coach, one who really understood the players," Mikan told Sports Illustrated in 1997. "John wasn't a screamer and was very mild-mannered, but he'd let loose when we deserved it, and usually I was the first one he bawled out. The message he sent was that no one on the team was above criticism."
When the franchise relocated to Los Angeles in 1959, Kundla resigned his post and stayed put in Minneapolis, where he still resides.
Kundla was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995, and was voted as one of the top-10 coaches of all time.
- With h/t to NBA.com's Steve Aschburner