The 15 Most Successful NBA Coaches of All Time

The National Basketball Coaches Association assembled a panel of 43 current and former NBA head coaches to narrow down its choices for the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history. Here are the 15 most successful NBA coaches ever.

15. Lenny Wilkens

Lenny Wilkens coached 32 seasons in the NBA. With his regular season record of 1,332-1,155 (.536). He once held the record as the winningest coach in NBA history and was the first to win 1000 regular-season games. Wilkens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Class in 1998. He received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

14. Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra coached 14 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 642-444 (.591). He guided the Miami Heat to five NBA Finals appearances, 10 playoff berths, and back-to-back NBA championships in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Spoelstra is set to serve as coach in the NBA All-Star Game for the second time.

13. Jerry Sloan

Jerry Sloan coached 26 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 1,221-803 (.603). His tenure with the Utah Jazz of 23 seasons is the second-longest in the NBA. He led them to 15 straight playoff appearances from 1988-2003. Sloan holds the sixth-most playoff victories (98). He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

12. Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers coached 22 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 1,024-725 (.585). His teams qualified for the playoffs 17 times. He guided the Boston Celtics to the 2007-08 NBA championship. He coached four different franchises to the playoffs: Celtics, Orlando Magic, LA Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers. Rivers won NBA Coach of the Year Award once.

11. Pat Riley

Pat Riley coached 24 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 1210-694 (.636). Riley led the Los Angeles Lakers to four NBA championships. He’s tied for the third-most NBA championships. He won a record 3 Coach of the Year Awards (tie) with three different franchises. Riley was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

10. Jack Ramsay

Jack Ramsay coached for 21 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 864-783 (.525). Ramsay retired as the second-winningest coach in NBA history. He coached four different franchises to the playoffs and guided the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA championship in 1976-77. Ramsay was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

9. Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich coached 26 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 1,330-687 (.661). He ranks third on the all-time wins list for regular-season and playoffs (1,496). Popovich guided the San Antonio Spurs to five NBA championships, tying the record for the third-most NBA championships. He was named Coach of the Year a record three times (tie).

8. Don Nelson

Don Nelson coached 31 seasons in the NBA. He holds the record for the most regular-season victories at 1,335-1,063 (.557), which also makes him the winningest coach in NBA history. He was named Coach of the Year a record three times (tie). Nelson coached the All-Star game twice. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

7. Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr coached eight seasons in the NBA. He has a regular-season record of 417-184 (.694). He guided the Golden State Warriors to five consecutive NBA Finals appearances and three NBA championships (2014-2019). Kerr was named NBA Coach of the Year once and coached the All-Star game twice.

6. K.C. Jones

K.C. Jones coached 10 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 522-252 (.674). He guided the Boston Celtics to two NBA championships (1983-84 and 1985-86) and 24 consecutive NBA finals appearances (1983-1987). Jones coached the NBA All-Star game five times. He received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Basketball Coaches Association in 2016.

5. Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson coached 20 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 1,155-485 (.704). He holds the NBA record for most NBA championships (11), with the Chicago Bulls (6) and Los Angeles Lakers (5). Jackson has the most career playoff victories (229). He was NBA Coach of the Year once. Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

4. Red Holzman

Red Holzman coached 18 seasons in the NBA. He has a regular-season record of 696-603 (.536). He guided the New York Knicks to two NBA championships (1969-70, 1972-73). Holzman was named the 1969-70 NBA Coach of the Year and coached the NBA All-Star game twice. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.

3. Chuck Daly

Chuck Daly coached 14 seasons in the NBA. He has a regular-season record of 638-437 (.593). He led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles (1988-89, 1989-90). The National Basketball Coaches Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award is named in his honor. Daly was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.

2. Larry Brown

Larry Brown coached 26 seasons in the NBA. His regular-season record is 1,098-904 (.548). He guided an NBA-record eight different franchises to the playoffs: Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets), San Antonio Spurs, LA Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). Brown was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

1. Red Auerbach

Red Auerbach coached 20 seasons in the NBA. He led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships (1956-57 and 1958-66). He has a regular-season record of 938-479 (.662). Auerbach won NBA Coach of the Year once. He was inaugurated into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969. He ranks second in career NBA championships, behind Phil Jackson (11).