Richard Preston Carlisle was born and raised in Lisbon, New York, where he attended a local high school and started to play basketball. After graduation, he attended the University of Maine, where he played for two seasons.
After not being satisfied with his role in the team, he decided to transfer to the University of Virginia. He was starting guard for the Cavaliers, and together with Ralph Sampson, he was leading the team Elite Eight.
Rick Carlisle – Assistant coaching career
New Jersey Nets didn’t want to keep him as a player, but they saw his coaching potential and immediately gave him a chance. Straight from the shoes, he jumped into the coaching the guys with whom till that day he played. In the Nets, he had an opportunity to learn from legendary Chuck Daily, among others.
After 5 seasons with the team, P.J. Carlesimo offered him a job at Portland. Trail Blazers were building an exciting young squad, and Carlisle wanted to be a part of that.
He stayed there for three seasons before going to Indiana Pacers, where his former teammate Larry Bird wanted someone who knows the League and who will be loyal to him. Bird Pacers were a sensation in the next two years. In season 1999-2000, for the first time in franchise history, they reached NBA Finals.
Rick Carlisle – Detroit Pistons
In the summer of 2001, Pistons decided to hire Rick Carlisle as their new head coach. Nobody expected that Detroit would win the Central Division title in his first season and have a coach of the year. When it seemed that the Pistons were moving in a good direction, they decided to fire Carlisle. The main reason was that he disagreed with some decisions management was making.
Rick Carlisle – Indiana Pacers assistant coach
After a disappointing season with Isiah Thomas as a head coach Indiana needed changes before the 2003-2004 season. Ownership brought back Larry Bird, this time as President of basketball operations, and his first move was giving a head coach job to Rick Carlisle.
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In Carlisle’s first 3 seasons, the team was always in Playoffs, and they were considered one of the best defensive teams in the League. Things changed during the 2006-2007 season when they have won only 37 games and missed the playoffs for the first time after 10 years. Rick understood that Indiana needed a new face at the bench and wasn’t surprised when they fired him.
Rick Carlisle – Dallas Mavericks
In 2008 Mavs owner Mark Cuban hired Rick Carlisle as his new head coach, and they signed a four-year deal. From the beginning, it was clear that Cuban was not wrong. The team was developing in every way, their defense was solid, and an offense led by Dirk Nowitzki was one of the most effective in the NBA.
Season 2010-2011
At the start of the 2010-2011 season, Miami Heat was the biggest favorite to win the League. They had their superstar trio: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosch. But Mavs with Dirk and Coach Carlisle had different plans.
Each month they were improving, and when the Playoffs started, confidence was rising in Texas. They swept Los Angeles Lakers, who were defending champions, sending a clear message to the Heat that they are ready to compete in the playoffs. They had things under control in the Finals, winning it 4-2 for the first NBA championship in Dallas history. Carlisle signed a long-term contract extension with the Mavs.
Coaching with a vision
He was one of the main guys pushing for Luka Doncic when he applied for the NBA Draft. Many people thought Luka couldn’t play in the NBA, but Carlisle was confident he would become one of the biggest stars in the League. He was not wrong because Doncic is today one of the best players in the NBA.
Rick Carlisle – Return to Indiana Pacers
Carlisle’s decision to leave the Mavs was a big surprise for the NBA fans, mainly because he had two more years of contract.
Indian Pacers didn’t hesitate because the coach was familiar with the franchise. After all the experiences he gathered in previous years, he was undoubtedly the best solution for their bench. They are starting the rebuilding process and hope that Rick Carlisle can make a miracle as he did in season 2010-2011 with the Mavs.
How many coaching wins does Rick Carlisle have?
Carlisle has 845 wins and 703 losses as a head coach. At the moment, he is 15th on the NBA winningest coaches list. His best season was 2010-2011with Dallas Mavs when he had won 57 games in the regular season. It is expected that he will get 1000 coaching wins, which will be among the top 10 coaches in NBA history.
Did Rick Carlisle coach in college?
Rick never coached at the college level. As soon as he stopped playing for the Nets, he started to work as an assistant coach for Bill Fitch.
During his early NBA days, there were some speculations that he could coach at the NCAA level, but that didn’t happen.
Who did Rick Carlisle play for in the NBA?
Carlisle was drafted in 1984 as the 70th pick by the Boston Celtics. In his three seasons with the Celtics, he played in three NBA finals, and in 1986 they won a championship led by Larry Bird. Carlisle was always coming from the bench, but his contribution to team results was not small. He was averaging 8 minutes per game in 157 for Boston. Together with that, he had 2.2 points per game.
His next stop was CBA and Albany Patroons, where he played for coach Bill Musselman. With good games at the CBA level, he earned a chance to go back to NBA, where he signed a contract with the New York Knicks, and coach Rick Pitino used him as one more player in the rotation. His last NBA stop as a player was New Jersey Nets, where he appeared only in 5 games during the season 1988-1989.
What is Rick Carlisle’s salary?
This summer Rick Carlisle signed a four-year deal with the Indiana Pacers worth $29 million. It is estimated that before joining Pacers, he was making around $7 million per season with Dallas Mavericks.
Who is Rick Carlisle’s wife?
Rick’s wife is Donna Nobile. The couple got married in 2000 after 10 years of dating. Donna is a pediatric specialist, and she doesn’t like media a lot.
They have a daughter Abigail Claire Carlisle born on 7 May 2004. Carlisle’s family is trying to keep their private life far from the fame and glory of NBA basketball.
When did Rick Carlisle coach the Indiana Pacers?
In June of 2021, the Pacers hired Carlisle to begin his second coaching term with them. Carlisle’s first run as a coach for Indiana was from 2003 to 2007.
