NBA All-Time Awards

National Basketball Association’s Coach of the Year Award

by
Zane Harris
September 22, 2023

nba coach of the year award

In the world of professional basketball, excellence is not just measured by the prowess of players on the court but also by the strategic genius of the coaches behind the scenes. The National Basketball Association (NBA) recognizes this crucial role played by its coaches through the prestigious “Coach of the Year Award.”

Instituted to honor the most outstanding coaching talent each season, this accolade is a testament to the dedication, innovation, and leadership exhibited by its recipients. As we delve into the history and significance of this award, we’ll uncover the stories of the remarkable individuals who have shaped the game, one play at a time.

How does a coach win Coach of the Year NBA?

It is awarded to the head coach that voters believe did the best with their team through the regular season. This does not always mean leading your team to having the best record in the league. The winner receives the Red Auerbach trophy which is named after legendary Boston Celtics head coach Red Auerbach. Through his coaching career, Auerbach led the Celtics to a remarkable nine NBA championships and even won the NBA coach of the year award himself in the 1964-1965 season.

History of the NBA Coach of the Year Award

Since the inception of the head coach of the year award, there have been 40 different head coaches who have won the award. Currently, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, and Greg Poppovich are tied for first in all time as head coach of the year award winners with three each.

Notorious Winners

Some of the best coaches and basketball minds of all time have been recognized as NBA head coach of t he year award winners. All three of the coach of the year winners that we will cover individually went on to also have jobs in the front office of various NBA teams, all of which had varying results.

Pat Riley

The first NBA coaching legend that we will cover is Pat Riley. Riley is the only NBA coach in the history of the league to win the head coach of the year award with three teams. He had very successful runs with the New York Knicks, Los Angles Lakers, and Miami Heat. Through his career, Riley has made Miami his home and has played an enormous role in the teams’continued success in the past couple of decades.

Despite Riley no longer being in a coaching role with the Heat, he has done a tremendous job running the organization. From franchise-changing moves like trading for Shaquille O’Neal, to drafting franchise legend Dwyane Wade, and arguably the biggest move of his career, bringing in LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the Heat in free agency while still resigning Wade.

It could be said that the biggest testament to Riley as a basketball genius is the Miami Heat’s ability to remain competitive since acquiring Wade. Since Riley joined Miami, the Heat have never really been forced to go into a full rebuild. They have never been a team that has been forced to tank in the regular season and he has instilled a tough and winning culture within the organization.

Phil Jackson

The second coach we will cover is one of the best basketball minds to ever be a part of the game. Jackson was a part of two of the best dynasties the NBA has ever seen. Along with this, he is one of the winningest coaches of all time. Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls during their tear with Michael Jordan, and also at the helm of the ship through the Shaq and Kobe era of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jackson is best known for his implementation of the triangle offense which completely revolutionized the game for its era. Along with this, he was a player-coach and one of the first coaches to really get to know their players and coach/treat them differently based on their personality. A perfect example of this is his treatment of Dennis Rodman. Rodman is one of the biggest personalities and wildest spirits that the league has ever seen. He was even too much for some of the best coaches of all time, but not Jackson.

There was a stint in which Jackson decided to allow Rodman some time off from the team during the regular season to go crazy and party to his heart’s content to get it out of his system. Things like this were extremely progressive coaching methods, especially for its era. However, it worked wonders for Jackson and could be one of the reasons why he was as successful as he ended up being. It would not be fair to go over Jackson’s legacy without bringing up his stint with the New York Knicks. The Knicks more or less gave Jackson full control of the franchise and he ran it into the ground with poor decision after poor decision.

Steve Kerr

The final award winner we will cover individually is Steve Kerr. Kerr is another individual that is used to winning. During his playing career, he was coached by coaching greats like Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich. It is clear that Kerr has used the things he learned from these two in his own coaching and it has worked wonders for him.

Kerr joined the Golden State Warriors right before they would burst onto the scene as one of the best teams in the NBA. Since then, they went on a tear of being one of the best dynasties that the league has ever seen, however, injuries put their reign of terror on a slight pause. With his team healthy once again, Kerr and the Warriors are once again a top team in the league.

Gregg Popovich

The final coaching legend we will cover is Gregg Popovich. Enough cannot be said about Popovich and the incredible job he has done with the Spurs. He proved that it is possible to create a dynasty in a small market and you did not have to play a particularly exciting style of basketball to do it.

Popovich instilled an elite culture in San Antonio and that culture and mindset that he pushed onto his players led the Spurs to win five championships on their dominant run.