| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-07-13)July 13, 1935 Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 2018(2018-09-25) (aged 83) Bonita Springs, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. James (Chester, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Saint Joseph's (1954–1957) |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career | 1959–1984 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1959–1960 | St. James HS |
| 1960–1965 | Saint Joseph's (assistant) |
| 1965–1966 | Philadelphia Textile |
| 1966–1974 | Saint Joseph's |
| 1974–1976 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
| 1976–1979 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) |
| 1979 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1980–1984 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1984 | Kansas City Kings |
| Career highlights | |
As assistant coach: | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 136–215 (.387) |
| College | 163–83 (.663) |
Record atBasketball Reference  | |
John Paul McKinney (July 13, 1935 – September 25, 2018)[1] was an American college and professionalbasketball coach. In 1979, as a head coach in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) with theLos Angeles Lakers, he introduced an up-tempo style of play that became known asShowtime. This was his only season with the Lakers, which ended prematurely after a bicycle accident. McKinney later joined theIndiana Pacers, where he was namedNBA Coach of the Year in 1981. He also coached theKansas City Kings (now known as the Sacramento Kings), and served as an assistant coach for theMilwaukee Bucks and thePortland Trail Blazers.
John Paul McKinney was born on July 13, 1935, inChester, Pennsylvania, to Paul McKinney, a police detective, and Jen McMahon, a homemaker.[2] He attendedSt. James High in Chester, where he played basketball under coachJack Ramsay. He graduated in 1953.[3][4]
McKinney went to college atSaint Joseph's University inPhiladelphia. He played three seasons for theHawks, also coached by Ramsay, and led the team to theBig 5's inaugural title and the school's first postseason appearance in the1956 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).[3] He was also a member of theirtrack and field team.[4]
McKinney coached one season at St. James in 1959–60, leading them to a 17–11 record.[3]
McKinney coached five years at his alma mater St. Joseph's as an assistant under Ramsay.
McKinney was the head coach atPhiladelphia Textile for one season in 1965–66.
McKinney returned to St. Joe's in 1966, replacing the departed Ramsay as head coach.[5] McKinney is a member of the Saint Joseph's and the Big 5 Halls of Fame.[3] He was also named the Eastern Coach of the Year by Philadelphia sportswriters for his 1973–74 season when the Hawks, predicted to have a poor year after graduatingMike Bantom to the NBA andPat McFarland to theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA), had a stellar season again winning their conference and qualifying for postseason play.[6][7] However, he was fired after a first-round loss in the1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament, and his dismissal prompted a demonstration by over 500 students.[2][7]
McKinney was an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1974 to 1976.
McKinney was an assistant coach with thePortland Trail Blazers, and won anNBA championship with the Trail Blazers under Ramsay in 1976–77. Ramsay called McKinney the architect of the offense and his wife Claire said McKinney considered his tenure with the Blazers the highlight of his career.[2]
McKinney received his first NBA head coaching job in1979–80 with the Lakers. OwnerJerry Buss, who had recently acquired the team, wanted games to be entertaining, and hired the coach to install a running offense.[8][9] McKinney had 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) rookieMagic Johnson, who some thought should playforward, be apoint guard, even though incumbentNorm Nixon was already one of the best in the league.[10][11][12]
On November 8, 1979, the Lakers were 9–4 after 13 games, when McKinney suffered a near fatal head injury after falling while bicycling.[2] Assistant coachPaul Westhead, who also worked under McKinney at St. Joseph's, was named the interim head coach.[12] However, the length of the recovery and lingering doubts about the complete return of McKinney's mental faculties, combined with the team's level of success under Westhead, ultimately meant that McKinney would never get the chance to return to the job. Westhead continued to use McKinney's offense, a creative and spontaneous offense that came to be known asShowtime,[12][13][14] and the team finished the season with a record of 60–22.[2] The Lakers advanced to that year'sNBA Finals, when McKinney was fired mid-series on May 13, 1980.[15][16] The Lakers won the series for their first of five NBA titles in nine seasons, and hired Westhead to permanently replace McKinney.[17]
Pat Riley, who replaced Westhead as Lakers coach, won four titles with the team and became the coach most synonymous with the Showtime Lakers.[2][18] However, Norm Nixon credited McKinney with creating Showtime. "That should never be forgotten," said Nixon.[19] According to Riley, McKinney "might have won five or six titles for the Lakers in the '80s" were it not for his accident.[2] McKinney was deferential. "I just put in some ideas that were accepted, and the rest was up to Paul and Pat and some great players," he said.[2]
McKinney joined theIndiana Pacers the following season in1980–81.[19] He was hired at the recommendation of a guilt-ridden Buss, who was a business partner with Pacers owner Frank Mariani.[19][20] In his first season, McKinney was named theNBA Coach of the Year after leading the Pacers to their first playoff appearance since the formerAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) team joined the NBA during theABA–NBA merger of 1976. Over the next three seasons, however, the team's performance regressed, and McKinney was fired after the Pacers posted the league's worst record in the1983–84 season.
McKinney was soon hired as the head coach of the Kansas City Kings, but resigned from the position on November 18, 1984, after the team started with a 1–8 record in the1984–85 season.[21] He left coaching for good afterwards, citing ongoing issues with his memory, plus no longer feeling passionate about the profession.[22]
After he left coaching, McKinney relocated back to his native Pennsylvania with his family. He worked as a sales representative for a major sporting goods company, while also filling in at times as a color analyst for thePhiladelphia 76ers broadcasts. He said he got offers to come back to coaching, but never took any of them. Eventually, he and his wife retired to Florida.
In 2005, McKinney co-authored a book about his experiences at Saint Joseph's and donated 10 percent of its proceeds to the school.[3]
McKinney died on September 25, 2018, at a hospice inBonita Springs, Florida, at the age of 83.[2]
McKinney was portrayed byTracy Letts in theHBO documentary seriesWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Textile Rams()(1965–1966) | |||||||||
| 1965–66 | Philadelphia Textile | 21–6 | NCAA College Division Second Round | ||||||
| Philadelphia Textile: | 21–6 (.778) | ||||||||
| Saint Joseph's Hawks(Middle Atlantic Conference)(1966–1974) | |||||||||
| 1966–67 | Saint Joseph's | 16–10 | 4–1 | ||||||
| 1967–68 | Saint Joseph's | 17–9 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 1968–69 | Saint Joseph's | 17–11 | 3–2 | NCAA University Division First Round | |||||
| 1969–70 | Saint Joseph's | 13–12 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1970–71 | Saint Joseph's | 19–9 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA University Division First Round | ||||
| 1971–72 | Saint Joseph's | 16–9 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1972–73 | Saint Joseph's | 22–6 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA University Division First Round | ||||
| 1973–74 | Saint Joseph's | 19–11 | 5–1 | T–1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| Saint Joseph's: | 142–77 (.648) | 37–7 (.841) | |||||||
| Total: | 163–83 (.663) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1979–80 | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 1st in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Replaced byPaul Westhead |
| Indiana | 1980–81 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 3rd in Central | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost infirst round |
| Indiana | 1981–82 | 82 | 35 | 47 | .427 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Indiana | 1982–83 | 82 | 20 | 62 | .244 | 6th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Indiana | 1983–84 | 82 | 26 | 56 | .317 | 6th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Kansas City | 1984–85 | 9 | 1 | 8 | .111 | (resigned) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 351 | 136 | 215 | .387 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||
Jack graduated from St. James High School in 1953 and had played under Ramsey.
