List of Oklahoma City Thunder head coaches explained

The Oklahoma City Thunder is an American professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It plays in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was known as the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008. The team plays its home games at the Paycom Center.[1] The Thunder is owned by Professional Basketball Club LLC with Sam Presti as its general manager. The team was formed in 1967. After spending 41 seasons in Seattle, Washington, the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City. Owner Clay Bennett, who purchased the team in 2006, sought to get public funding for a new arena in Seattle, or a major renovation of the KeyArena in 2007. After failing to do so, he decided to move the team to Oklahoma City.[2] Seattle sued Bennett's group to enforce the lease that required the team to stay until 2010. The two sides reached a $45 million settlement to pay off the team's lease with KeyArena in July 2008.[3] [4]

There have been 16 head coaches for the Thunder franchise. The franchise won its only NBA championship in the 1979 NBA Finals while coached by Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens is the only member of the franchise to have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[5] He is also the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season games coached, regular-season games won, playoff games coached, and playoff games won. Wilkens, Paul Westphal, Nate McMillan and Bob Weiss formerly played for the team in Seattle.[6] [7] [8] Former head coach Scott Brooks is the only coach to have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award with the franchise.[9] __FORCETOC__

Key

GCGames coached
WWins
LLosses
Win%Winning percentage
Number of coaches
Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the SuperSonics/Thunder
Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach

Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the .

NameTermGCWLWin%GCWLWin%AchievementsReference
Regular seasonPlayoffs
Seattle SuperSonics
116453111000[10]
2(as player-coach)246121125000One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[11]
3451332000[12]
4371324000[13]
53281621661569[14]
622517000[15]
6343572776937321 NBA championship (1979)
One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history
7410202208271215[16]
81185959523[17]
9422000[18]
10534384150804040[19]
111477671523[20]
123952121831688[21]
13301317000[22]
141345381000[23]
15822062000[24]
Oklahoma City Thunder
13112000
16545338207733934 NBA Coach of the Year[25]
17400243157411823[26]
18–present2361431751064.6002023-24 NBA Coach of the Year

References

General
Specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: City Preparing Ford Center For NBA Team. KOCO Oklahoma City. Hearst Television Inc. July 3, 2008. July 4, 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110719103500/http://www.koco.com/news/16785490/detail.html. July 19, 2011.
  2. Web site: Bennett says Sonics going to Oklahoma. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Seattle Media, LLC. November 2, 2007. April 2, 2008. Greg. Johns. June 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622173311/https://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Bennett-says-Sonics-going-to-Oklahoma-1254432.php?source=mypi. live.
  3. Web site: ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. SuperSonics, Seattle reach last-minute settlement. July 3, 2008. July 2, 2008. January 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160124045856/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3471503. live.
  4. Web site: Sonics, city reach settlement . The Seattle Times . July 2, 2008 . July 2, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090501013137/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008030229_sonitrial02.html . May 1, 2009 .
  5. Web site: Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. January 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120108224137/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/wilkele01c.html. live.
  6. Web site: Lenny Wilkens Playing Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. October 11, 2008. April 3, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130403220839/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wilkele01.html. live.
  7. Web site: Nate McMillan Playing Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. October 11, 2008. April 21, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130421112505/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcmilna01.html. live.
  8. Web site: Bob Weiss Playing Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. October 11, 2008. October 24, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081024013933/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/weissbo01.html. live.
  9. Web site: Coach of the Year. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 26, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100915001144/http://www.nba.com/history/awards_coachofyear.html. September 15, 2010. dead.
  10. Web site: Al Bianchi Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. July 6, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080706034556/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/biancal01c.html. live.
  11. Web site: Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. National Basketball Association. NBA.com. October 9, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20100119011709/http://www.nba.com/history/top_10_coaches.html. January 19, 2010. dead.
  12. Web site: Tom Nissalke Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. March 9, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110309125921/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/nissato99c.html. live.
  13. Web site: Bucky Buckwalter Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. July 28, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110728054059/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/buckwbu99c.html. live.
  14. Web site: Bill Russell Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. July 19, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080719133807/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/russebi01c.html. live.
  15. Web site: Bob Hopkins Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. July 4, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080704152337/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/hopkibo01c.html. live.
  16. Web site: Bernie Bickerstaff Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. August 7, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110807014705/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/bickebe99c.html. live.
  17. Web site: K.C. Jones Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. July 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110704045902/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/joneskc01c.html. live.
  18. Web site: Bob Kloppenburg Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. December 24, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081224002044/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/kloppbo99c.html. live.
  19. Web site: George Karl Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 28, 2008. November 24, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101124081001/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/karlge01c.html. live.
  20. Web site: Paul Westphal Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 26, 2008. April 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100407061709/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/westppa01c.html. live.
  21. Web site: Nate McMillan Coaching Record . Sports Reference . basketball-reference.com . July 26, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120614021942/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mcmilna01c.html . June 14, 2012 .
  22. Web site: Bob Weiss Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 26, 2008. March 23, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090323035127/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/weissbo01c.html. live.
  23. Web site: Bob Hill Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 26, 2008. June 14, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080614002246/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/hillbo99c.html. live.
  24. Web site: P.J. Carlesimo Coaching Record. Sports Reference. basketball-reference.com. July 26, 2008. July 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110704061053/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/carlepj99c.html. live.
  25. Web site: Scott Brooks Coaching Record . Sports Reference . basketball-reference.com . May 14, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140409081132/http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/brooksc01c.html . April 9, 2014 .
  26. Web site: Billy Donovan Coaching Record. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. July 27, 2021. December 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211228101742/https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/donovbi99c.html. live.