Top 10 Best Coaches In NBA History

July 1, 2021 By Sourav


Top 10 Best Coaches In NBA History

In every sport, the players are given the greatest credits, and for reasons too obvious. But, there is one person in each team who deserves to receive as much appreciation as any other person on the court, and that person is the coach. Let us take a look at the Top 10 Best Coaches in NBA History.

 

Best Coaches in NBA History | 2021 Updates

When it comes to the international level of sports, the coaches of the teams are treated with utmost respect and regard. Since basketball is one of the top sports in the world, the coaches of the National Basketball Association are almost as big celebrities as the players themselves. And, here they are!

10. Don Nelson

Don-Nelson
Don-Nelson

Basketball coach Don Nelson served as a head coach in the NBA from 1976 to 2010. He now holds the tenth place in our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise, Milwaukee Bucks, from 1976 to 1987, coached the Golden State Warriors from 1988 to 1995 and again from 2006 to 2010, coached the New York Knicks from 1995 to 1996, and also coached the Dallas Mavericks from 1997 to 2005.

Don Nelson has an NBA coaching record of 851–629 with an average of .575 in his career as a head coach. But sadly, he never won an NBA Championship titles with his basketball teams. Don Nelson achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award thrice in his career in 1983, 1985, and 1992.

 

9. Jack Ramsay

Jack-Ramsay
Jack-Ramsay

Basketball coach Jack Ramsay served as a head coach in the NBA from 1968 to 1988. He now holds a ninth place in our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise Philadelphia 76ers from 1968 to 1972, coached the Buffalo Braves from 1972 to 1976, coached Portland Trail Blazers from 1976 to 1986, and also coached the Indiana Pacers from 1986 to 1988.

Jack Ramsay has an NBA coaching record of 864–783 with an average of .525 in his career as a head coach. He won an NBA Championship titles with his basketball team Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. But sadly, Jack Ramsay never achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award in his career.

 

8. Lenny Wilkens

Lenny-Wilkens
Lenny-Wilkens

Basketball coach Lenny Wilkens served as a head coach in the NBA from 1969 to 2005. He now holds the eighth place in our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise Seattle SuperSonics from 1969 to 1972 and again from 1977 to 1985, coached Portland Trail Blazers from 1974 to 1976, coached Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1993, coached Atlanta Hawks from 1993 to 2000, coached Toronto Raptors from 2000 to 2003 and also coached New York Knicks from 2004 to 2005.

Lenny Wilkens has an NBA coaching record of 1014–850 with an average of .544 in his career as a head coach. He won an NBA Championship titles with his basketball team Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. Lenny Wilkens achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award once in his career in 1994.

 

7. Bill Fitch

Bill-Fitch
Bill-Fitch

Basketball coach Bill Fitch served as a head coach in the NBA from 1970 to 1998. Fitch now holds the seventh place in our list of the top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise Cleveland Cavaliers from 1970 to 1979, coached the Boston Celtics from 1979 to 1983, coached the Houston Rockets from 1983 to 1988, coached New Jersey Nets from 1989 to 1992, and also coached the Los Angeles Clippers from 1994 to 1998.

Bill Fitch has an NBA coaching record of 944–1106 with an average of .460 in his career as a head coach. He won an NBA Championship titles with his basketball team Boston Celtics in 1981. Bill Fitch achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award twice in his career in 1976 and 1980.

 

6. Red Holzman

Red-Holzman
Red-Holzman

Basketball coach Red Holzman served as a head coach in the NBA from 1954 to 1982. He now holds the sixth place in our list of the top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise St. Louis Hawks from 1954 to 1956, and also coached the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1982 in his active coaching career.

Red Holzman has an NBA coaching record of 696–604 with an average of .535 in his career as a head coach. He won a total of 2 NBA Championship titles with his basketball team New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Red Holzman achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award once in his career in 1970.

 

5. Chuck Daly

Chuck-Daly
Chuck-Daly

Basketball coach Chuck Daly served as a head coach in the NBA from 1982 to 1999. Daly now holds the fifth place in our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1982 season, coached Detroit Pistons from 1983 to 1992, coached New Jersey Nets from 1992 to 1994, and also coached Orlando Magic from 1997 to 1999.

Chuck Daly has an NBA coaching record of 564–379 with an average of .598 in his career as a head coach. He won a total of 2 NBA Championship titles with his basketball team Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990. But sadly, Chuck Daly never achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award in his career.

 

4. John Kundla

John-Kundla
John-Kundla

Basketball coach John Kundla served as a head coach in the NBA from 1948 to 1959. Kundla now holds the fourth place in our list of the top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached one of the oldest NBA teams, Minneapolis Lakers, from 1948 to 1959 in his active basketball coaching career. John Kundla has an NBA coaching record of 423–302 with an average of .583 in his career as a head coach.

He won a total of 5 NBA Championship titles with his basketball team in 1949 1950, 1952, 1953, and 1954. But sadly, John Kundla never achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award in his career.

 

3. Pat Riley

Pat-Riley
Pat-Riley

Basketball coach Pat Riley served as a head coach in the NBA from 1981 to 2008. He now holds the third place in our list of the top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers from 1981 to 1990, coached the New York Knicks from 1991 to 1995, and also coached Miami Heat from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2008.

Pat Riley has an NBA coaching record of 798–339 with an average of .702 in his career as a head coach. He won a total of 5 NBA Championship titles with his basketball teams in 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 2006. Pat Riley achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award thrice in his career in 1990, 1993, and 1997.

 

2. Red Auerbach

Red-Auerbach
Red-Auerbach

Basketball coach Red Auerbach served as a head coach in NBA from 1946 to 1966. Auerbach now holds the second place in our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

He coached the NBA franchise Washington Capitols from 1946 to 1949, coached Tri-Cities Blackhawks from 1949 to 1950, and also coached the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1965.

Red Auerbach has an NBA coaching record of 938–479 with an average of .662 in his career as a head coach. He won a total of 9 NBA Championship titles with his basketball teams in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966. Red Auerbach achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award once in his career in 1965.

 

1. Phil Jackson

Phil-Jackson
Phil-Jackson

Basketball coach Phil Jackson served as a head coach in the NBA from 1989 to 2011. He now holds the top place in our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history. Jackson coached some of the greatest NBA players of all time during his career.

He coached the NBA franchise Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, and also coached Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011.

Phil Jackson has an NBA coaching record of 414–160 with an average of .721 in his career as a head coach. He won a total of 11 NBA Championship titles with his basketball teams in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. Phil Jackson achieved the NBA Coach of the Year award once in his career in 1996.

 

Greatest NBA Coaches - All-Time Infographics

 

Final Words

Interestingly, the sport of basketball was first invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by James Naismith, who himself was a coach from Canada. The physical education instructor created the sport to have a less injury-prone alternative to football. Little did he know that he would have his name etched in the history of sports for being the starter of what turned out to be a multi-million dollar enterprise. And, we hope that you liked our list of top 10 best coaches in NBA history.

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