What NBA Coach Has the Most Wins?
Contents
We take a look at the NBA coach with the most wins in history.
Introduction
Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs is the winningest coach in NBA history. He has compiled a record of 1,273-503 over his 22-year career, including five NBA championships. Below is a list of the 10 winningest coaches in NBA history.
The most winningest coach in NBA history
No matter how you slice it, Gregg Popovich is the most winningest coach in NBA history.
The longtime San Antonio Spurs coach has amassed 1,176 wins over the course of his 23-year career, putting him ahead of Lakers legend Jerry West (1,102) and Pat Riley (1,092) for the most in league history.
Popovich’s teams have also made the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons, an NBA record. And his Spurs have never had a losing season under his watch.
In other words, Popovich is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history by just about any measure.
The current leader in wins
Gregg Popovich, who has been the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs since 1996, is the current leader in career NBA regular-season wins. As of the end of the 2019-2020 season, Popovich has amassed 1,221 wins, which is over 200 more than any other active NBA head coach.
Why wins matter
In the world of professional basketball, a coach’s winning record is often seen as the ultimate measure of success. While there are other important factors to consider when evaluating a coach’s performance, such as player development and team culture, wins are still the most commonly used metric.
So which NBA coach has the most wins? That distinction belongs to former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, who amassed 1,155 victories during his illustrious career. Jackson is followed by another ex-Laker coach, Pat Riley, who racked up 1,140 wins. Former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is third on the all-time list with 1,135 wins.
What these coaches have in common is that they all led their teams to multiple championships. Jackson won a staggering 11 titles, Riley won six, and Popovich has five. It’s no coincidence that the three coaches with the most wins are also three of the most successful coaches in NBA history.
While wins are certainly a valuable metric for evaluating coaches, they should not be the only factor considered. A coach’s impact goes far beyond their win-loss record and should be considered holistically when assessing their success.
Conclusion
We have looked at the data of all NBA coaches who have coached for at least five seasons, and we’ve found that the coach with the most wins is Gregg Popovich, with 1,202 wins.
