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Photo of Red Holzman

William "Red" Holzman

A street-wise basketball gym rat, Red Holzman was the coaching genius behind the magic the New York Knicks brought to the NBA during the 1970s. Honing his skills during basketball's post-war era, Red played nine professional seasons and won a championship with Rochester. In 1953, Holzman became player-coach of Milwaukee, and shortly retired to devote his full attention to coaching, first with the Hawks, and later the New York Knicks. Holzman's Knicks, featuring a Hall of Fame cast, were a pressing, defensive-oriented, and fundamentally sound unit that played equally effective halfcourt and up-tempo basketball. A master strategist, Holzman used to proclaim, “If you play good, hard defense, the offense will take care of itself.” One of the select few to win championships as both a player and coach, Holzman was named one of the Top Ten Coaches in NBA History in 1996.

Enshrined

1986

Born

August 10, 1920 Brooklyn, NY

Died

November 13, 1998

Professional Career

Milwaukee Hawks New York Knicks St. Louis Hawks

Career Stats

1970 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR
2x NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS
NEW YORK KNICKS
3x BSN Champion