Flip Saunders, the revered and long-tenured head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, died today. He was 60 years old.
Saunders was an NBA coach for 35 years of his life, taking the helm of the Pistons and Wizards in between leading the Timberwolves, but it’s with the Wolves that he had the most impact. Saunders was largely responsible for the rearing of Kevin Garnett, one of the greatest power forwards the game has ever seen, and remains the only coach to take the Timberwolves franchise to the Western Conference Finals. He would also lead the Detroit Pistons to a 64-win season in the 2005-2006 season, good for a franchise record for victories.
This summer, in August, Saunders revealed that he had Hodgkin lymphoma, but doctors considered it to be a very “treatable” case. However, last week, Saunders announced that he would be absent for the entire 2015-2016 season after suffering a setback in September. Sanders is survived by his wife and four children, one of whom is currently an assistant coach for the Timberwolves.
