Bill Fitch, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 for his accomplishments as a coach, died Wednesday, his daughter Marcy Ann Coville confirmed via Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
Fitch was 89.
“I am sad to announce that NBA Hall of Famer Bill Fitch passed away Wednesday evening,” Carlisle, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said, per Marc Stein. “He died peacefully surrounded by his loving family in Lake Conroe, Texas.”
Fitch spent time with five different franchises: the Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, Nets and Clippers. Throughout his 25 years coaching in the NBA, he took home two Coach of the Year honors, in 1975–76 (with Cleveland) and in 1979–80 (with Boston).