Back when NBA teams still traveled from city to city aboard trains, John Kundla became the conductor of the league’s first dynasty.
With his mild-mannered demeanor, Kundla led the Minneapolis Lakers to five NBA titles and one NBL championship during his 12 years at the head of the team.
Seventy years after Kundla was named the first coach of the Lakers, he passed away at the age of 101 in his native Minneapolis on July 23, 2017.
“On behalf of the entire Lakers organization, I’d like to express our sadness at the passing of John Kundla,” Lakers President and co-owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement.