Hall of Fame member Paul Westphal was diagnosed with brain cancer, columnist and close friend Mike Lupica in a tweet Sunday courtesy of former Phoenix Suns player and coach.
“I’ve been a close friend of Paul Westphal since his rookie year 1972-73 with the Boston Celtics and had the thrill of celebrating his glorious career with him last September when he entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,” Lupica tweeted..
“With your permission, I will let world basketball know that he was just diagnosed with brain cancer. Specifically glioblastoma. Pray for my friend, number 44.”
Westphal, 69, led Phoenix to the 1976 NBA Finals and trained the Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.He entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Five-Star NBA Star Westphal before being in the Hall of Fame.”It’s something I’ll probably never get used to. That’s not why I played, but at the same time, it’s probably something everyone dreams of playing.”
Westphal averaged 20.6 problems in six seasons with the Suns.
“It’s hard to hear some other brother of our game get this kind of news,” Suns coach Monty Williams said.”I was made known (Westphal) indirectly through other people.He was very good to me when I met him. Your congratulations for me.It’s bad news.”
The Suns published a Sunday afternoon about Westphal’s diagnosis.
“Phoenix Suns organizations give a percentage of their unwavering help Paul Westphal and his circle of relatives during this difficult time.We are very happy to hear your diagnosis of brain cancer.Paul has been an iconic cornerstone of the Phoenix Suns franchise for decades, either as a notable player and as a coach.His tenacity in the area and on the bench has taken the franchise to two NBA Finals games and its effect on the Phoenix net extends far beyond hardwood.
The Mayo Clinic describes glioblastoma as “a competitive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord.”The online page also states that this can happen at any age, but “tends to happen more in the elderly”.
Also known as glioblastoma multiforme, the disease “can be very difficult to treat and cannot be cured”, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Treatments can slow cancer progression and symptoms and symptoms.
“This is a blow to his circle of family and especially to so many other people in Phoenix who hold him in such high esteem and rightly so,” Williams said. “He has been positive for the league as a player and coach for a long, long time. Obviously, our honest minds and our prayers go out to him and his circle of family.”
Do you have an opinion on the state of the suns?Contact Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or touch it at 480-787-1240.Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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