Best NBA Coaches Of All Time: The Courtroom Masterminds

“In basketball – as in life – true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.”- Phil Jackson

The NBA is not only a place for players to showcase their skills; it’s also a place for masterminds who conduct the game and its outcomes from the sidelines. Yes, we are talking about the coaches. A coach is one of the most important parts of any team. As put forward brilliantly by the Golden State Warriors’ Points-Guard, Stephen Curry, “Steve Kerr is a genius. He puts us in the right positions to succeed. We just have to go out and execute.” This shows just how important a coach is for the team’s performance. On that note, we will be listing the best NBA coaches of all time in our blog today. Be sure to read the full blog to see if your favourite coach made it to the list.

Best NBA Coaches Of All Time That Changed The Game Forever

Before starting the list, we would like to point out that this list is based on the championships won by the particular coaches, their win percentage, and the total games coached. If you have any input, feel free to comment and let us know.

#10 Paul Westhead

With the fewest games coached on this list, Paul Westhead is one of the best NBA coaches of all time. Within such a short period, Paul won one NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980 and a WNBA championship with Pheonix Mercury in 2007. Paul soon retired from coaching Basketball. In his entire NBA coaching career, Paul coached a total of 3 teams: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.

#9 Larry Brown

Larry Brown has coached more than 2000 games in his coaching career and won over 1300 of them. Moreover, Larry has also won 1 NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons and an NCAA championship, making him the only NBA coach in history to win both. He is also the only coach in NBA history to have coached basketball at every level, making him one of the best NBA coaches of all time.

#8 Bill Russell

Although most people know Bill as one of the best basketball players ever. But a few of you might know that he was also a prolific coach and led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship two times in a row, in 1968 and 1989. Bill Russell also has the most championship rings in the organization’s history, at 11. This, along with his win as a coach, cemented his name as one of the best NBA coaches of all time.

#7 Red Holzman

Red Holzman is another coach who is considered by many as a great coach. His philosophy was to keep passing the ball, and he emphasised defence over everything. This was evident in the New York Knicks play in the seasons that they won. In total, Red Holzman has 2 NBA championships under his belt, both of which are with the New York Knicks.

#6 Steve Kerr

One of the most recent coaches, Steve Kerr, currently coaches the Golden State Warriors and is known for having some of the best shooters in the league. He is also a former basketball player and has won 5 championships. However, when it comes to coaching, Kerr has 4 championships, all 4 of them with the Golden State Warriors. The National Basketball Association also named him one of the top 15 best NBA coaches of all time.

#5 Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich is currently the president and head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. As the Spurs’ head coach, he led the team to five championships: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. This makes him one of the best NBA coaches of all time.

#4 John Kundla

John Kundla was a professional basketball coach who is among the best NBA coaches of all time due to his achievements and impact on the game. During his career as the head coach of the Minneapolis Lakers, the team won 5 NBA championships in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954.

#3 Pat Riley

It’s common to win championships with one team, and it’s a completely different ball game when you win NBA championships with 2 teams. Pat Riley is among the best NBA coaches of all time, who won championships 5 times from 2 different teams. He won in 1982, 1985,1987 and 1988 with the Los Angeles Lakers and won in 2006 with the Miami Heat.

#2 Red Auerbach

If you are a basketball fan, you might know that the Boston Celtics is considered a dynasty in basketball, and the credit for that goes to Red Auerbach. He was paramount in the success of the Boston Celtics and won the championship 9 times in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966, all with the Boston Celtics.

#1 Phil Jackson

So, this is what we are here for. There is a chance that you knew who would top our list, as Phil Jackson is a name no basketball fan can forget. He is widely regarded as the most successful and best NBA coach of all time, and rightly so. In his two-decade career as an NBA coach, he bagged 11 titles with two different teams, cementing his name as one of the best NBA coaches of all time.

The Greatest Minds Of The NBA

These are the best NBA coaches of all time, and without them, the game of basketball wouldn’t be as advanced as it is today. The coaching philosophy of these personalities became integral to the game’s development. Throughout their careers, these NBA coaches have shown leadership abilities, their ability to inspire others, and their dedication to the game of basketball.