Photo: GabboT / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Paul Westphal's arc is one of basketball's great full circles: he won a 1974 title with Boston, then returned to the Finals in 1976 against those same Celtics in a Phoenix uniform. What draws me to him is that he refused to be only a player, moving on to coach and to commentate, wringing every angle out of the game he clearly loved. A guard with that much craft tends to see the floor like a chessboard, and I suspect his analysis carried real authority. His death in 2021 closed a life lived entirely inside the sport, and I'd have given a lot to hear him break down a game in person.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Paul Westphal
- Name (Japanese)
- ポール・ウェストファル
- Reading
- ぽーる・うぇすとふぁる
- Born
- November 30, 1950 – January 2, 2021
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Tiger
- Origin
- Torrance, California, United States
- Height
- 193 cm
- Occupation
- basketball player / basketball coach / sports commentator / head coach
2. Background
- High school
- Aviation High School
- University
- University of Southern California
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Paul Westphal born?
November 30, 1950 – January 2, 2021.
Where is Paul Westphal from?
Paul Westphal is from Torrance, California, United States.
What does Paul Westphal do?
Paul Westphal works as basketball player, basketball coach, sports commentator, head coach.
How tall is Paul Westphal?
Paul Westphal is 193 cm.
Basketball player — see all → · Basketball coach — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.