EAST FLATBUSH — DOUG MOE, the Brooklyn native who became one of the NBA’s most distinctive coaching figures, died Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 87, the New York Post reports.
Moe starred in the ABA before moving to the sideline, earning three All-Star selections from 1968 to 1970 and winning a championship with the Oakland Oaks in 1969. He later coached the Spurs and 76ers, but made his greatest mark with the Denver Nuggets, leading the franchise from 1980 to 1990 and guiding it to nine straight playoff appearances. His 432 wins stood as a team record until 2024.
Raised in Brooklyn, Moe credited hours at Foster Park for shaping his feel for the game. “After school and on Saturdays, we would play there until dark,” he told The New York Times in 1984. “I would play against guys a lot older and they would beat the heck out of me. But I learned a lot.”
Denver called him a “one-of-a-kind leader” whose banner will continue to hang in the rafters. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and son, David.
