NBA Coach of the Year Award explained

National Basketball Association Coach of the Year Award
Sport:Basketball
League:National Basketball Association
Givenfor:Coach deemed most integral to their team's success in regular season of the National Basketball Association
Mostwins:Don Nelson
Pat Riley
Gregg Popovich (tied, 3)
Mostrecent:Mark Daigneault
Oklahoma City Thunder

The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships from 1956 to 1966. The winner is selected at the end of the regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The person with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.[1]

Since its inception, the award has been given to 40 different coaches. The most recent award winner is current Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson and Pat Riley have each won the award three times, while Hubie Brown, Mike Brown, Mike Budenholzer, Mike D'Antoni, Bill Fitch, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Gene Shue, and Tom Thibodeau have each won it twice. No coach has won consecutive Coach of the Year awards. Riley is the only coach to be named Coach of the Year with three franchises.[2] Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, and Lenny Wilkens are the only recipients to have been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. Johnny Kerr is the only person to win the award with a losing record (33–48 with the Chicago Bulls in). Kerr was honored because he had guided the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs in their first season in the league.[3] Doc Rivers is the only person to win the award despite his team not making the playoffs (41–41 with the Orlando Magic in). Only five recipients also coached the team that won the championship the same season: Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Bill Sharman, Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich. Popovich is the only NBA Coach of the Year recipient to win the championship in the same season twice, winning the NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 and 2014. 2020 winner and former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is the only coach to receive this honor in both the NBA and the NBA G League, having received the G League award in 2011.[4]

2015–16 recipient Steve Kerr only coached 39 of the 82 games in the season due to complications from offseason back surgery, though he received credit for all of the Golden State Warriors' 73 wins that season. Assistant coach Luke Walton served as interim head coach for the other 43 games for the Warriors, receiving one second-place vote and two third-place votes.[5] Kerr asked the league to award Walton with the wins accumulated during Kerr's medical recovery time, but the NBA refused to do so because under league rules interim head coaches do not have win-loss records at all. Mike Brown became the first unanimous Coach of the Year recipient in NBA history in the 2022–23 season.[6]

Winners

^Denotes head coach who is currently active in the NBA as a head coach
Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach
Denotes coach was a unanimous winner
BoldTeam won NBA championship for that season
Coach (#)Denotes the number of times the coach has been selected
Team (#)Denotes the number of times a coach from this team has won
W–LWin–loss record for that season
Win%Winning percentage for that season
Win% ±Winning percentage change from previous season
SeasonCoachNationalityTeamW–LWin%Win% ±
St. Louis Hawks48–32.600+.237
San Francisco Warriors48–32.600+.212
Boston Celtics62–18.775+.037
Philadelphia 76ers55–25.688+.188
Chicago Bulls33–48.407
St. Louis Hawks (2)56–26.683+.202
Baltimore Bullets57–25.695+.256
New York Knicks60–22.732+.073
Chicago Bulls (2)51–31.622+.146
Los Angeles Lakers69–13.841+.256
Boston Celtics (2)68–14.829+.146
Detroit Pistons52–30.634+.146
Kansas City–Omaha Kings44–38.537+.135
Cleveland Cavaliers49–33.598+.110
Houston Rockets49–33.598+.110
Atlanta Hawks (3)41–41.500+.122
Kansas City Kings (2)48–34.585+.207
  • (2)
Boston Celtics (3)61–21.744+.390
Indiana Pacers44–38.537+.086
(2)Washington Bullets (2)43–39.524+.048
Milwaukee Bucks51–31.622
Utah Jazz45–37.549+.183
  • (2)
Milwaukee Bucks (2)59–23.720+.110
Atlanta Hawks (4)50–32.610+.195
Portland Trail Blazers49–33.598+.110
Denver Nuggets54–28.659+.208
  • (2)
Phoenix Suns55–27.671+.330
Los Angeles Lakers (2)63–19.768+.073
Houston Rockets (2)52–30.634+.134
  • (3)
Golden State Warriors (2)55–27.671+.134
  • (2)
New York Knicks (2)60–22.732+.110
Atlanta Hawks (5)57–25.695+.171
Los Angeles Lakers (3)48–34.585+.183
Chicago Bulls (3)72–10.878+.305
  • (3)
Miami Heat61–21.744+.232
Indiana Pacers (2)58–24.707+.231
Portland Trail Blazers (2)35–15.700+.139
^Orlando Magic41–41.500
Philadelphia 76ers (2)56–26.683+.085
^Detroit Pistons (2)50–32.610+.220
^*San Antonio Spurs60–22.732+.025
(2)Memphis Grizzlies50–32.610+.269

Phoenix Suns (2)62–20.756+.402
Dallas Mavericks60–22.732+.025
Toronto Raptors47–35.573+.244
New Orleans Hornets56–26.683+.207
^Cleveland Cavaliers (2)66–16.805+.256
Oklahoma City Thunder50–32.610+.330
^Chicago Bulls (4)62–20.756+.256
^* (2)San Antonio Spurs (2)50–16.758+.014
Denver Nuggets (2)57–25.695+.119
^* (3)San Antonio Spurs (3)62–20.756+.049
^Atlanta Hawks (6)60–22.732+.269
^Golden State Warriors (3)73–9.890+.073
(2)
Houston Rockets (3)55–27.671+.171
Toronto Raptors (2)59–23.720+.098
^ (2)Milwaukee Bucks (3)60–22.732+.195
^Toronto Raptors (3)46–18.719+.012
^ (2)New York Knicks (3)41–31.569+.251
^ Phoenix Suns (3) 64–18.780+.072
^ (2)Sacramento Kings (3) 48–34.585+.219
^Oklahoma City Thunder (2) 57–25.695+.207

Multi-time winners

AwardsCoachTeam(s)Years
3 Don NelsonMilwaukee Bucks (2), Golden State Warriors (1)1983, 1985, 1992
Pat RileyLos Angeles Lakers (1), New York Knicks (1), Miami Heat (1)
Gregg PopovichSan Antonio Spurs2003, 2012, 2014
2 Gene ShueBaltimore Bullets (1), Washington Bullets (1)1969, 1982
Bill FitchCleveland Cavaliers (1), Boston Celtics (1)1976, 1980
Hubie BrownAtlanta Hawks (1), Memphis Grizzlies (1)1978, 2004
Cotton FitzsimmonsKansas City Kings (1), Phoenix Suns (1)1979, 1989
Mike D'AntoniPhoenix Suns (1), Houston Rockets (1)2005, 2017
Mike BudenholzerAtlanta Hawks (1), Milwaukee Bucks (1)2015, 2019
Tom ThibodeauChicago Bulls (1), New York Knicks (1)2011, 2021
Mike BrownCleveland Cavaliers (1), Sacramento Kings (1)2009, 2023

Teams

Awards Teams Years
6Atlanta Hawks / St. Louis Hawks,,,,,
4Chicago Bulls,,,
3Boston Celtics,,
Los Angeles Lakers,,
San Antonio Spurs,,
Golden State Warriors,,
Houston Rockets,,
Milwaukee Bucks,,
Toronto Raptors,,
New York Knicks,,
,,
Sacramento Kings / Kansas City–Omaha Kings,,
2Cleveland Cavaliers,
Denver Nuggets,
Detroit Pistons,
Indiana Pacers,
Oklahoma City Thunder,
Philadelphia 76ers,
Portland Trail Blazers,
Washington Wizards / Baltimore Bullets / Washington Bullets,
1Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
New Orleans Pelicans / New Orleans Hornets
Orlando Magic
Utah Jazz
Dallas Mavericks
0Minnesota TimberwolvesNone
Brooklyn Nets
Los Angeles Clippers

See also

References

General
Specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dallas' Avery Johnson Named 2005–06 NBA Coach of the Year. July 12, 2008. April 28, 2006. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20100321175505/http://www.nba.com/news/awards2006_coach.html. March 21, 2010. dead.
  2. Web site: Heat coach Pat Riley among 2008 Basketball Hall of Fame class. April 7, 2008. July 12, 2008. ESPN.
  3. Web site: Johnny "Red" Kerr Bio. July 15, 2008. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20120122063328/http://www.nba.com/history/players/kerrj_bio.html. January 22, 2012. dead.
  4. Toronto's Nick Nurse wins 2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year award . NBA . August 22, 2020 . August 22, 2020.
  5. Web site: Ananth. Pandian. Warriors' Steve Kerr wins the 2016 NBA Coach of the Year award. CBS Sports. April 26, 2016. April 28, 2016.
  6. Web site: Sacramento's Mike Brown unanimous Coach of the Year winner .