TheNational Basketball Association (NBA) is amajor professionalbasketball league in North America. It was founded in 1946 as theBasketball Association of America (BAA).[1] The league adopted its current name at the start of the1949–50 season when it merged with theNational Basketball League (NBL).[2] The league consists of 30 teams, of which 29 are located in the United States and one in Canada. In the NBA, ahead coach is the highest ranking coach of acoaching staff. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than the assistant coaches.
FormerLos Angeles Lakers andChicago Bulls head coachPhil Jackson has won elevenNBA championships, the most in NBA history. He won six titles with theChicago Bulls and five titles with the Lakers, and is one of three coaches who have won multiple championships with more than one team (Pat Riley andAlex Hannum are the others).Red Auerbach won nine championships with theBoston Celtics, including eight consecutive titles from1959 to1966.John Kundla,Pat Riley, andGregg Popovich have each won five championships. Kundla won all of his titles with the Lakers, and Popovich won all of his titles with the Spurs, while Riley won four titles with the Lakers and one with theMiami Heat. CurrentGolden State Warriors head coachSteve Kerr has won four championships, while currentMiami Heat head coachErik Spoelstra has won two titles.Milwaukee Bucks head coachDoc Rivers,Indiana Pacers head coachRick Carlisle,Los Angeles Clippers head coachTyronn Lue,Philadelphia 76ers head coachNick Nurse,Boston Celtics head coachJoe Mazzulla, andOklahoma City Thunder head coachMark Daigneault are the only other active coaches who have won a championship. Rivers won while with theBoston Celtics in 2008, Carlisle won while with theDallas Mavericks in 2011, Lue with theCleveland Cavaliers in 2016, Nurse with theToronto Raptors in 2019, Mazzulla with theBoston Celtics in 2024, and Daigneault with theOklahoma City Thunder in 2025.
| Yrs | Number of years coached |
| GC | Games coached |
| W | Wins |
| L | Losses |
| Win% | Winning percentage |
| ^ | Denotes coach who iscurrently coaching an NBA team |
| * | Elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the2024–25 season.