Top Ten All Time Coaches
From Hoopedia
Here's a list of the top ten NBA coaches, selected by basketball writers in 1996, as part of the league's 50th Anniversary celebration.
Contents |
Red Auerbach
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 938 | 479 | (.662) | Third-winningest coach in NBA history ... Served 20 seasons as NBA head coach ... Coach of the Year for 1964-65 ... NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time team coach ... Selected as the "Greatest Coach in the History of the NBA" by the PBWAA in 1980 ... Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968. |
Arguably the greatest contributor to the game of basketball since Dr. James Naismith, Red Auerbach has achieved the highest levels of success as a coach and executive. Auerbach was the mastermind behind the dominate Boston Celtics dynasty from 1956 to 1967 and has won 7 titles in his time. The Celtics legend's contributions include redefining the game as well as breaking down color barriers in professional sports with actions such as drafting the first African American player (Chuck Cooper) and having the first all black starting five (Tom Sanders, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, and Willie Naulls).
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Chuck Daly
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 605 | 420 | (.590) | Fifteenth-winningest coach in NBA history ... 1998-99 is his second season as Orlando Magic coach; 14th season as NBA head coach ... Guided Detroit Pistons to victories in 1989 and 1990 NBA Finals ... His teams posted winning records in 11 of 13 campaigns ... Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. |
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Bill Fitch
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 944 | 1,106 | (.460) | Second-winningest coach in NBA history ... 22 seasons as NBA head coach with Cleveland, Boston, Houston, New Jersey, LA Clippers... Guided Boston Celtics to victory in 1981 NBA Finals ... Coach of the Year for 1975-76 and 1979-80. |
Known in his 25 year professional coaching career as a man to hire to improve your failing team, Bill Fitch earned his Top Ten All Time Coach status by retiring fifth all time for victories. At the helm of the 1981 Championship Boston Celtics, Fitch lead Hall of famers, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish to maintain the legendary franchises reputation before heading to the Houston Rockets, where he would lead a team including Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson to the 1986 NBA Finals. (They would to Fitch's former team the Celtics.) Hall of Famer Fitch has proven to be one of the most successful coaches at both the professional and college levels.
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Red Holzman
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 696 | 604 | (.535) | Eleventh-winningest coach in NBA history ... Served 18 seasons as NBA head coach ... Led Knicks to victory in 1970 and 1973 NBA Finals ... Coach of the Year for 1969-70 ... Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. |
One of the only people in history to win an NBA championship as both player and a coach, Red Holzman is best known for his tenure with the New York Knicks. Holzman led the Knicks to 2 NBA titles including one in 1970 that capped off a year that included him being selected as the Coach of the Year as well as well as setting a (then) record for the longest winning streak. (18 games)
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Phil Jackson
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 545 | 193 | (.738) | Best winning percentage in NBA history ... Enjoyed nine successful seasons as Chicago head coach (1989-98) ... Reached 400 wins in only 557 games, second-fastest to milestone in league history ... Guided the Chicago Bulls to NBA championships in 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98 ... 1995-96 Coach of the Year.Also guided the LA Lakers to three NBA Championships |
There is probably no recent NBA coach more well known than Phil Jackson. The former New York Knick player, Jackson secured his status as one of the greats by winning 6 NBA Championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls, followed by 3 consecutive Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. His 9 total victories tie him with the legendary Red Auerbach for the most ever and are just a few of the many accomplishments Jackson has achieved. He made the Finals 2 more times in 2004 and 2008 loosing to the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007
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John Kundla
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 423 | 302 | (.583) | Coached Minneapolis to five NBA championships in six seasons from 1948-49 through 1953-54 ... Served 11 years as NBA head coach ... His 1949-50 Minneapolis team recorded fourth-best home winning percentage in NBA history (.868/30-1) ... Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. |
Coach John Kundla is the legendary coach of the first dynasty in NBA history. Head coach of the George Mikan led Minneapolis Lakers, Kundla won five titles in six years and completed his tenure with the franchise accumulated 11 years with the Lakers. Following his NBA career, he returned to his alma mater, the University of Minnesota and coached another 9 seasons there.
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Don Nelson
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 867 | 679 | (.575) | Sixth-winningest coach in NBA history ... Has served 20 years as NBA head coach with Milwaukee, Golden State, New York and Dallas ... Joins Pat Riley as the only coaches ever to be named Coach of the Year three times (1982-83, 1984-85 and 1991-92) ... His clubs have recorded nine 50-plus-win seasons and seven divisional championships. |
With an overall NBA coaching record is 1,232-920 heading into the 2007-08 NBA season innovator, Don Nelson is credited with, among other things, inventing the concept of the point forward, a tactic which is frequently employed by teams at every level today. His unique brand of basketball is often referred to as Nellie Ball. The 5 time champion was the third pick overall of the 1962 NBA Draft and is considered one of the best sixth men to ever play the game. His jersey retired and and hanging in the rafters of the Boston Garden since 1978, Nelson's skills as a player have only been outdone by his abilities and successes as a coach.
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Jack Ramsay
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 864 | 783 | (.525) | Seventh-winningest coach in NBA history ... Served 20 years as NBA head coach ... Coached 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers to victory in NBA Finals ... Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. |
Known for turning around basketball teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the St. Joseph's Hawks, Dr. Jack Ramsay retired in 1987 behind only Red Auerbach in career win totals. Aside from his contributions as a coach and team executive, Ramsay, has had a notable career as an announcer and still calls games today.
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Pat Riley
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 914 | 387 | (.703) | Fifth-winningest coach in NBA history ... Achieved 800th career win on Nov. 2, 1996, reaching the mark faster than any coach in league history... 1998-99 will be his fourth season as Miami head coach; 17th season as a head coach in NBA ... Led four L.A. Lakers teams to victory in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 NBA Finals ... 1989-90, 1992-93 and 1996-97 Coach of the Year. |
The legendary player, coach, and basketball executive Pat Riley is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time. Having served as the head coach of six championship teams and an assistant coach to another, Mr. Slick as he's known was a member of the 1972 championship winning Los Angeles Lakers team, bringing his NBA championship total to an astonishing seven. The supreme athlete played both football and basketball for his alma mater. A member of legendary coach Adolph Rupp's 1966 Kentucky Wildcats, Riley played in the infamous NCAA championship, losing to Texas Western (now known as UTEP). The game would eventually be dramatized in the film Glory Road. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008
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Lenny Wilkens
| Wins | Loses | Win Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,120 | 908 | (.526) | Winningest coach in NBA history ... 1998-99 will be his sixth season as Atlanta head coach; 26th season as a head coach in NBA ... 1993-94 Coach of the Year ... Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 ... Recently selected one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. |
Retiring with 1,332 wins (the most in NBA history), Lenny Wilkens passed Red Auerbach on January 6, 1995 with a win against the Washington Bullets. He also retired with 1,155 losses (the most in NBA history) passing Bill Fitch in 2001). A coach of the Olympic Champion Men's Basketball team in 1996 Wilkens is one of three players to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach (the other two being John Wooden and Bill Sharman), joining the Hall in 1989 as a player and 1998 as a coach. He is also a member of the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame.
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