List of Los Angeles Lakers head coaches explained
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, formerly known as the Minneapolis Lakers from 1948 to 1960.[1] They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Lakers have played their home games at the Crypto.com Arena since 1999.[2] The franchise took its official name from Minnesota's nickname, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. At the time the name was revealed, the Lakers were in Minneapolis.[3] In their franchise history, the team has only missed the NBA playoffs 11 times.[4] According to Forbes magazine, the Lakers are the second most valuable basketball franchise in the NBA, valued at approximately US$4.4 billion, surpassed only by the New York Knicks.[5] The Lakers are majority-owned by Jerry Buss's family trust, while Rob Pelinka is the general manager.[6]
There have been 26 head coaches for the Lakers since joining the NBA. The franchise's first head coach while in the NBA was John Kundla, who coached for 11 seasons with the Lakers.[1] The Lakers won four additional NBA championships in the next five years under Kundla.[1] Phil Jackson is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (902), most playoff games coached (181), most regular-season game wins (610), and most playoff wins (118). The Lakers have won 17 championships; five with Kundla, five with Jackson, four with Riley, one with Bill Sharman, one with Paul Westhead, and one with Frank Vogel. With the Lakers, Sharman, Riley, and Del Harris have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award, in,, and respectively.[7] Kundla, Sharman, Riley, and Jackson have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[8] [9] [10] [11] George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, and Luke Walton have all played and coached for the Lakers.
Key
GC | Games coached |
W | Wins |
L | Losses |
Win% | Winning percentage |
| Number of coaches |
| Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Lakers |
| Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
| Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach and spent entire coaching career with the Lakers | |
Coaches
Note: Statistics are correct through the 2023–24 season.
| Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements | Reference |
---|
Regular season | Playoffs |
---|
Minneapolis Lakers |
| | – | | | | .597 | | | | .659 | 5 Championships (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)[12] One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[13] | |
| | | | | | .231 | — | — | — | — | | [14] |
— | | | | | | .458 | | | | .462 | One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history | |
3 | | | | | | .306 | — | — | — | — | | [15] |
4 | | | | | | .359 | | | | .556 | | [16] |
Los Angeles Lakers |
5 | | – | | | | .563 | | | | .465 | | [17] |
6 | | – | | | | .652 | | | | .636 | | [18] |
7 | | – | | | | .573 | | | | .533 | | [19] |
8 | | – | | | | .600 | | | | .595 | NBA Coach of the Year 1 Championship (1972) | |
9 | | – | | | | .589 | | | | .364 | | [20] |
10 | | | | | | .714 | — | — | — | — | | [21] |
11 | | – | | | | .689 | | | | .684 | 1 Championship (1980) | [22] |
12 | | – | | | | .733 | | | | .685 | NBA Coach of the Year 4 Championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history | |
13 | | – | | | | .616 | | | | .565 | | [23] |
14 | | – | | | | .452 | | | | .400 | | [24] |
15 | | | | | | .500 | — | — | — | — | | [25] |
16 | | | | | | .313 | — | — | — | — | | [26] |
17 | | – | | | | .659 | | | | .472 | NBA Coach of the Year | [27] |
— | | | | | | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | | |
18 | | | | | | .649 | | | | .375 | | [28] |
19 | | – | | | | .700 | | | | .696 | 3 Championships (2000, 2001, 2002) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history | |
20 | | | | | | .558 | — | — | — | — | | [29] |
21 | | | | | | .256 | — | — | — | — | | [30] |
— | | – | | | | .657 | | | | .607 | 2 Championships (2009, 2010) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history | |
22 | | – | | | | .591 | | | | .417 | | [31] |
23 | | | | | | .800 | — | — | — | — | | [32] |
24 | | – | | | | .435 | | | | .000 | | [33] |
25 | | – | | | | .227 | | | | | | [34] |
26 | | – | | | | | | | | | | [35] |
27 | | – | | | | | | | | | 1 Championship (2020) | [36] |
28 | | – | | | | | | | | | | [37] |
29 | | –present | | | | | | | | | | [38] | |
Notes
- A running total of the number of coaches of the Lakers. Thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is only counted once.
- Each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.
References
- General
- Web site: Los Angeles Lakers Coach Register. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 21, 2008. June 24, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080624084557/http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/coaches.html. live.
- Web site: Lakers: Los Angeles Lakers History. NBA.com. July 3, 2008. February 17, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120217202906/http://www.nba.com/lakers/history/lakers_history_new.html. live.
- Specific
Notes and References
- Web site: Los Angeles Lakers History. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 21, 2008. February 17, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120217202906/http://www.nba.com/lakers/history/lakers_history_new.html. live.
- Web site: About STAPLES Center . L.A. Arena Company . June 25, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110914162353/http://www.staplescenter.com/doublecol.php?section=about&page=aboutstaplescenter . September 14, 2011 .
- Book: Reavis, Tracey. The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. 2000. Doubleday. 978-0-385-50130-9.
- Web site: Odom scores 31, Lakers beat Mavericks 112-108 to clinch a playoff berth. Yahoo! Sports. July 3, 2008. November 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151106063311/http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2008040413. live.
- Web site: The Business of Basketball. Forbes. May 17, 2020. May 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120520034107/http://www.forbes.com/nba-valuations/list/. live.
- Web site: Buss family won't sell Lakers. ESPN Internet Ventures. ESPNLosAngeles.com. Markazi, Arash. February 18, 2013. April 17, 2013. February 19, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130219155444/http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8960441/family-jerry-buss-maintain-los-angeles-lakers-ownership. live.
- Web site: Coach of the Year. November 16, 2008. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. https://web.archive.org/web/20100915001144/http://www.nba.com/history/awards_coachofyear.html. September 15, 2010. dead.
- Web site: John Kundla Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 21, 2008. May 17, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090517091654/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/kundljo99c.html. live.
- Web site: Bill Sharman Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. June 29, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110629043626/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/sharmbi01c.html. live.
- Web site: Pat Riley Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. March 7, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110307070039/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/rileypa01c.html. live.
- Web site: Phil Jackson Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. February 11, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110211185058/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/jacksph01c.html. live.
- Web site: NBA Finals: All-Time Champions. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 21, 2008. August 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170817094310/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/champions.html. live.
- Web site: Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 30, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20100119011709/http://www.nba.com/history/top_10_coaches.html. January 19, 2010. dead.
- Web site: George Mikan Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 21, 2008. July 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080702221545/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mikange01c.html. live.
- Web site: John Castellani Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. July 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080701134149/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/castejo99c.html. live.
- Web site: Jim Pollard Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. February 24, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110224151424/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/pollaji01c.html. live.
- Web site: Fred Schaus Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. July 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080701072230/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/schaufr01c.html. live.
- Web site: Butch Van Breda Kolff Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. January 17, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130117192649/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/vanbrbu01c.html. live.
- Web site: Joe Mullaney Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. November 1, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111101134642/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mullajo01c.html. live.
- Web site: Jerry West Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. March 2, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120302215915/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/westje01c.html. live.
- Web site: Jack MckInney Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. December 19, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081219071740/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mckinja99c.html. live.
- Web site: Paul Westhead Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 17, 2020. February 25, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110225112136/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/westhpa99c.html. live.
- Web site: Mike Dunleavy Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. June 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080601054642/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/dunlemi01c.html. live.
- Web site: Randy Pfund Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. July 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080701224233/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/pfundra99c.html. live.
- Web site: Bill Bertka Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. June 24, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080624090539/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/bertkbi99c.html. live.
- Web site: Magic Johnson Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. June 16, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080616125945/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/johnsma02c.html. live.
- Web site: Del Harris Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. March 9, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110309152917/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/harride99c.html. live.
- Web site: Kurt Rambis Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. July 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080702222245/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/rambiku01c.html. live.
- Web site: Rudy Tomjanovich Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. March 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190320190923/https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/tomjaru01c.html. live.
- Web site: Frank Hamblem Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 22, 2008. July 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080701134159/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/hamblfr99c.html. live.
- Web site: Mike Brown Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 25, 2011. May 10, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100510072607/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/brownmi99c.html. live.
- Web site: Bernie Bickerstaff Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. December 18, 2012. August 7, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110807014705/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/bickebe99c.html. live.
- Web site: Mike D'Antoni Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. December 18, 2012. October 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111004003221/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/dantomi01c.html. live.
- Web site: Byron Scott Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 28, 2014. February 20, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110220230401/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/scottby01c.html. live.
- Web site: Luke Walton Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. April 29, 2016. January 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190120001649/https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/waltolu01c.html. live.
- Web site: Frank Vogel Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 11, 2019. June 29, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110629045703/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/vogelfr99c.html. live.
- Web site: Darvin Ham Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 11, 2019. September 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927155706/https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/hamda01c.html. live.
- Web site: 2024-06-20 . Lakers hiring Redick as new coach, sources say . 2024-06-21 . ESPN.com . en.