John Albert Kundla (July 3, 1916 – July 23, 2017) was an American college and professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach. He was the first head coach for the

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, t ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) and its predecessors, the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

(BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL), serving 12 seasons, from 1947 to 1959. His teams won six league championships, one in the NBL, one in the BAA, and four in the NBA. Kundla was the head basketball coach at the University of St. Thomas in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

for one season in 1946–47, and at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

for ten seasons, from 1959 to 1968. He was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 1995 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early life

Kundla was born in the mining town of Star Junction, Pennsylvania to parents from Jakubany, at that time Austria-Hungary, now Slovakia. He moved to Minneapolis at age 5.Louis Lazar
Almost 100, ‘Forgotten Legend of Basketball’ Still Marvels at the Game
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 2, 2016, accessed June 6, 2016. He attended Central High School in Minneapolis.

Playing career

After attending and playing basketball for Minneapolis Central High School (which closed in 1982), Kundla attended the

and was a standout for the Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball the late 1930s.

Coaching career

Following graduation, he stayed on at the university as an assistant coach to Dave MacMillan. He then moved to the high school ranks as the head coach of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After two years there, the United States entered World War II, and Kundla joined the Navy, where he was assigned to LST units in both the European and Pacific theaters. After the war, he was hired to coach the College of St. Thomas in 1946.

Minneapolis Lakers (1947–1959)

Following the St. Paul's College of St. Thomas Tommies' 1946–47 season, the new professional franchise in town, the

of the National Basketball League extended an offer to Kundla to coach the team. Kundla turned the offer down, however, as he was not impressed with the professional ranks. Team representatives returned, and this time the offer had been upped to $6,000 (twice his St. Thomas salary) and Kundla took the job at age 31. Kundla and the Lakers were immediately successful. A month into the 1947–48 season, future Hall of Fame center

George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of t ...

became available when the

Chicago American Gears The Chicago American Gears were a National Basketball League (NBL) team who played from 1944 to 1947. The team also played in the Professional Basketball League of America (PBLA) in 1947–48 after leaving the NBL. About They are notable in profe ...

, folded. Outhustling the rest of the NBL and the teams of the rival

(BAA), the predecessor of the

(NBA), the Lakers signed Mikan. Kundla then guided the

-led Lakers, which also included star

Jim Pollard James Clifford Pollard (July 9, 1922 – January 22, 1993) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Pollard was considered one of the best forwards in the 1950s and was ...

, to the 1948 NBL title. The Lakers defeated the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

and Coach

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...

in the 1949 BAA Finals 4 games to 2. 1950 Minneapolis Lakers

Moving to the BAA for the 1948–49 season, which became the NBA in 1949–50, Kundla's Lakers won five NBA titles in six years, with 1951 being the only gap in the team's run, a season in which Mikan broke his ankle at the end of the campaign, thus allowing the Rochester Royals to defeat the Lakers in the Western Conference championship series three games to one. The first team to repeat as league champions then became the first team to

three-peat In North American sports, a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships. The term, a portmanteau of the words ''three'' and ''repeat'', originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, during their unsuccess ...

, with Mikan fully healed for the 1951–52, 1952–53, and 1953–54 seasons. Kunlda's Lakers rosters included

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

players Mikan, Pollard, Slater Martin,

Vern Mikkelsen Arild Verner Agerskov Mikkelsen (October 21, 1928 – November 21, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. One of the National Basketball Association's first power forwards in the 1950s, he was known for his tenacious defense. Als ...

Clyde Lovellette Clyde Edward Lovellette ( ; September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. Lovellette was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. He was the first basketball player in history to ...

Slick Leonard William Robert "Slick" Leonard (July 17, 1932April 13, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach and color commentator. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where he was a two-time All-American and a member ...

, Hot Rod Hundley and

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

, as well as

Arnie Ferrin Chariton Arnold Ferrin Jr. (July 29, 1925 − December 27, 2022) was an American professional basketball player, executive, and college athletics administrator. He played college basketball for the Utah Utes and earned All-American honors fou ...

Walter Dukes Walter F. Dukes (June 23, 1930 – March 13, 2001) was a center for the New York Knicks (1955–1956), Minneapolis Lakers (1956–1957) and Detroit Pistons (1957–1963). He played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates. Born in Ro ...

Dick Garmaker Richard Eugene Garmaker (October 29, 1932 – June 13, 2020) was an American basketball player who played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1955 to 1961. College career Garmaker was a 6'3" guard/forward from the ...

, Frank Selvy and future

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coac ...

r and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

Coach

Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (born May 20, 1927) is a former head coach and player of American football, Canadian football, and a former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings ...

Kundla briefly moved to the Lakers front office ahead of the 1957–58 season. Coached by Mikan, the Lakers' record was 9-30, when Mikan stepped down and Kundla immediately returned to the bench, going 10-23 as the team finished 19-53, recording one of the worst seasons in its history missing the NBA playoffs for the only time in Kudla's tenure. Kundla then led the Lakers to a 33-39 record in his final season with an improved roster. Despite their losing record, Kundla led the 1958-1959 Lakers, with rookie

, to series victories over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

(2-1) and St. Louis Hawks (4-1) in the NBA Playoffs to reach the

1959 NBA Finals The 1959 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1958–59 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1959 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division cham ...

. The Lakers lost in the NBA Finals to Red Auerbach's

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

with

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most V ...

and Bob Cousy in four games. Overall, Kundla was 423-302 (.583) in 11 seasons as Coach of the Minneapolis Lakers, winning the BAA Championship in 1949 and NBA Championships in 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954.

University of Minnesota (1959–1968)

In 1959, knowing that the Lakers franchise was going to be moved to Los Angeles (after being purchased by Bob Short, the team moved in 1960) and despite having future Hall of Famer

on the team, Kundla chose to stay in Minnesota and resigned from the Lakers position to coach his alma mater, the

. While coaching he also taught physical education at the university. He was the first Gophers coach to give scholarships to African-American players, resulting in him receiving hate mail. Kundla stayed with the Gophers for nine years before retiring from coaching after the 1967–68 season with a record of 110-105. His Gophers only finished as high as third in the Big Ten five times, and never reached the postseason. After retiring from coaching, Kundla remained a physical education professor until retiring from the U of M in 1981.

Honors

In 1996, Kundla was voted as one of the 10 greatest coaches in the history of the NBA. In 11 years of coaching in the BAA/NBA, he had a record of 423–302 in the regular season and 60–35 in the playoffs. Kundla's 1947–48 NBL championship season team went 43–17 during the regular season with 14 more wins in the post-season, but does not count under official NBA records. Kundla was inducted into the

in 1995, after being lamented as "all but forgotten" in a 1992 ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...

'' column. Kundla was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. After the Los Angeles Lakers won their 2002 championship, Kundla was awarded a championship ring along with other living Minneapolis Lakers players at a ceremony at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it ...

Personal life

Kundla met his wife, Marie, while they were undergraduates; the two raised six children. After resigning from the Lakers, he stayed close with Mikan and

, often meeting his former players for breakfast. Kundla is the grandfather of former

Michigan State Spartans men's basketball The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won ...

player, Isaiah Dahlman, and former Wofford Terriers men's basketball player, Noah Dahlman, who was named the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 2009–10. His wife died in 2007; the following year he moved into the Main Street Lodge Assisted Living Home in Minneapolis and continued to watch and follow the NBA. Kundla

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

in July 2016 and died on July 23, 2017, twenty days after his 101st birthday.

Head coaching record

NBL

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Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

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NBA

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, style="text-align:left;", , 60, , 44, , 16, , .733, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Western , , 10, , 8, , 2, , .800 , style="text-align:center;", Won BAA Championship , - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 68, , 51, , 17, , .750, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central , , 12, , 10, , 2, , .833 , style="text-align:center;", Won

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 68, , 44, , 24, , .647, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Western , , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Div. Finals , - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 66, , 40, , 26, , .606, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Western , , 13, , 9, , 4, , .692 , style="text-align:center;", Won

, - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 70, , 48, , 22, , .686, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Western , , 12, , 9, , 3, , .750 , style="text-align:center;", Won

, - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 72, , 46, , 26, , .639, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Western , , 13, , 9, , 4, , .692 , style="text-align:center;", Won

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 72, , 40, , 32, , .556, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Western , , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Div. Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 72, , 33, , 39, , .458, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Western , , 3, , 1, , 2, , .333 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Div. Semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 72, , 34, , 38, , .472, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Western , , 5, , 2, , 3, , .400 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Div. Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 33, , 10, , 23, , .303, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 72, , 33, , 39, , .458, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Western , , 13, , 6, , 7, , .462 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

, - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 725, , 423, , 302, , .583, , , , 95, , 60, , 35, , .632 , style="text-align:center;", Hall of Fame head coach

College

References

External links

*John Kundla at Naismith Hall of Fame https://web.archive.org/web/20180705005420/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/john-kundla/
Coaching statistics at basketball-reference.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kundla, John 1916 births 2017 deaths American centenarians American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Slovak descent Basketball coaches from Minnesota Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Minneapolis Basketball players from Pennsylvania Central High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota) alumni High school basketball coaches in Minnesota Men centenarians Military personnel from Minnesota Military personnel from Pennsylvania Minneapolis Lakers head coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees People from Fayette County, Pennsylvania Sports coaches from Minneapolis St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's basketball coaches University of Minnesota faculty