Basketball
Ranking The Greatest Coaches In NBA History
The NBA has seen nearly eight decades of competitive play, and in that time, plenty of coaches have earned the adoration of fans, their players, and the history books – with the biggest wins in NBA history going down in the annals.
Rising to the very top of the hundreds of coaches who’ve made it to the NBA are the top ten NBA coaches of all time, each of whom has put up incredible records in the league and even won multiple championships.
So, these are the top ten best NBA coaches of all time ranked…
Top 10 Best NBA Coaches Ranked
- Phil Jackson (Bulls, Lakers, 1989-2011)
- Gregg Popovich (Spurs, 1996-)
- Red Auerbach (Blackhawks, Celtics, 1949-1966)
- Pat Riley (Lakers, Knicks, Heat, 1981-2008)
- Steve Kerr (Warriors, 2014-)
- Lenny Wilkens (SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Raptors, Knicks, 1969-2005)
- John Kundla (Lakers, 1947-1959)
- Chuck Daly (Cavaliers, Pistons, Nets, Magic, 1981-1999)
- Don Nelson (Bucks, Warriors, Knicks, Mavericks, 1976-2010)
- Jerry Sloan (Bulls, Jazz, 1978-2011)
The field of contenders for a spot among the top ten best NBA coaches of all time was certainly tricky. Outside of the top three, there’s an argument to be made for a good ten more coaches to jostle for higher rankings.
Still, this is how our rankings shake out, and this is a look at how each of these NBA coaches earned a spot in the top ten of all time.
Phil Jackson (Bulls, Lakers, 1989-2011)
You’d be hard-pressed to find an NBA coach who ranks higher than Phil Jackson in most of these all-time lists. While he boasted a superb roster, it was his philosophy to playing basketball that allowed them to excel.
As an NBA head coach, he turned stars into superstars, collected 1,155 wins across 1,640 games in the NBA, and, most importantly, a mighty 11 NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
Gregg Popovich (Spurs, 1996-)
One of the few active coaches worthy of consideration for a top ten best NBA coaches of all time ranking, the San Antonio Spurs haven’t been counted out of the betting lines for decades because Gregg Popovich has been there.
‘Coach Pop’ is the all-time wins leader in the NBA with 1,401 at the time of writing, and while health issues may end up keeping that figure where it is, he’ll remain 66 ahead of the next-best and with five championship rings.
Red Auerbach (Blackhawks, Celtics, 1949-1966)
Red Auerbach is one of the most influential figures in NBA history, winning nine NBA Championships and going on to guide the Boston Celtics front office to building one of the league’s all-time great dynasties.
A big fan of goading his opposing head coaches and gloating about his many, many wins with a victory cigar, he’d conclude his tenure as an NBA coach with 938 wins from 1,419 games and 11 All-Star head coach gigs.
Pat Riley (Lakers, Knicks, Heat, 1981-2008)
While they didn’t know it at the time, when the Los Angeles Lakers gave Pat Riley the call to move from being an assistant to the coach, the franchise triggered their legendary Showtime Era.
Under Riley, the LA Lakers would win four NBA Championships, including back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988. In 2006 – during his second stint with the Miami Heat – he’d add another ring to his collection and bow out with 1,210 wins in 1,904 games.
Steve Kerr (Warriors, 2014-)
In 2014/15, the Golden State Warriors picked Steve Kerr to be their head coach, and by the end of 2014/15, they were NBA champions. That was just the start of what would become one of the most dominating dynasties the league had ever seen.
Still a favourite in the NBA odds despite not being as all-conquering at this stage of the rebuild, Kerr’s Warriors once made it to the NBA Finals five seasons in a row and again in 2022, winning it all on four of those six occasions.
Lenny Wilkens (Six NBA Teams, 1969-2005)
Lenny Wilkens ended his NBA coaching career with a record 2,487 games on the sideline, winning 1,332 of those to sit firmly in third in league history.
In his time as a coach, following a playing career that featured nine NBA All-Star call-ups, he took the Seattle SuperSonics to their one and only title and coached the Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Raptors, and Knicks over his 36-year run.
John Kundla (Lakers, 1947-1959)
In the earliest days of the NBA, through the late 1940s and into the 1950s, John Kundla and his Minneapolis Lakers forged the first true dynasty of the league, winning a mighty four of the first five NBA Championships.
Kundla had also taken his Lakers to the NBL championship in 1948 – just before the NBA was formed. Over 11 seasons, he amassed a 423-302 record and remains among the top ten best NBA coaches of all time.
Chuck Daly (Cavaliers, Pistons, Nets, Magic, 1981-1999)
A master motivator who was unafraid of rubbing people the wrong way, Chuck Daly created one of the most infamously solid defensive teams in NBA history that was able to bully out even Michael Jordan in his day.
Daly’s style of play and persona on the sideline helped to surge the Bay Boy Pistons to back-to-back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990, and by the end of his career, he’d amassed 638 wins from 1,075 games.
Don Nelson (Bucks, Warriors, Knicks, Mavericks, 1976-2010)
The namesake of the fast-paced, high-volume shooting style that pioneered the point forward role, ‘Nellie Ball,’ Don Nelson landed himself three NBA Coach of the Year Awards with the Milwaukee Bucks and Warriors.
His career as a coach would also take Nelson to the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, with his final win count of 1,335 only now trailing Gregg Popovich.
Jerry Sloan (Bulls, Jazz, 1978-2011)
Jerry Sloan cemented himself and the Utah Jazz as premier forces in the NBA from the late 80s to the turn of the millennium, taking them to the playoffs in 15 consecutive seasons and the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.
Across a career that featured 1,221 wins from 2,024 games, as well as 1,223 combined regular season and playoff wins with the Jazz, Sloan couldn’t quite get his hands on the NBA Championship.
