NBA

Coaching Succession

45 franchises, 633 head-coaching tenures, and the win-share change across every handover. The last column is the difference between a head coach and the predecessor at that franchise — descriptive, not causal: rosters, schedules and eras move alongside a hire. It is withheld entirely when either tenure ran under two seasons, because differencing two noisy numbers produces a confident-looking figure built from nothing.

AND

3 coaches · 1949–50

1949–50Doxie Moore15–11.577—
1949–50Howie Schultz21–14.600—
1949–50Ike Duffey1–2.333—

ATL

32 coaches · 1949–50 to 2025–26

1949–50Red Auerbach28–29.491—
1949–50Roger Potter1–6.143—
1950–51Dave MacMillan9–14.391—
1950–51Johnny Logan2–1.667—
1950–51

BKN

26 coaches · 1976–77 to 2025–26

1976–77 to 1980–81Kevin Loughery129–234.355—
1980–81 to 1987–88Bob MacKinnon22–64.256-10.0
1981–82 to 1982–83Larry Brown91–67.576+32.0
1982–83Bill Blair2–4.333—
1983–84 to 1984–85Stan Albeck

BLB

6 coaches · 1947–48 to 1954–55

1947–48 to 1950–51Buddy Jeannette96–117.451—
1950–51Walt Budko10–19.345—
1951–52 to 1952–53Chick Reiser8–22.267—
1951–52Fred Scolari12–27.308—
1952–53 to 1954–55

BOS

19 coaches · 1946–47 to 2025–26

1946–47 to 1947–48John Russell42–66.389—
1948–49 to 1949–50Alvin Julian47–81.367-2.2
1950–51 to 1965–66Red Auerbach795–397.667+30.0
1966–67 to 1968–69Bill Russell162–83.661-0.6
1969–70 to 1977–78Tom Heinsohn

CHA

12 coaches · 1988–89 to 2025–26

1988–89 to 1989–90Dick Harter28–94.230—
1989–90 to 1990–91Gene Littles37–87.298+6.9
1991–92 to 1995–96Allan Bristow207–203.505+20.6
1996–97 to 1998–99Dave Cowens109–70.609+10.4
1998–99 to 2011–12Paul Silas

CHI

24 coaches · 1966–67 to 2025–26

1966–67 to 1967–68Johnny Kerr62–101.380—
1968–69 to 1975–76Dick Motta356–300.543+16.2
1976–77 to 1977–78Ed Badger84–80.512-3.0
1978–79Larry Costello20–36.357—
1978–79Scotty Robertson

CHS

2 coaches · 1946–47 to 1949–50

1946–47 to 1948–49Harold Olsen95–63.601—
1948–49 to 1949–50Philip Brownstein50–29.633+3.2

CLE

24 coaches · 1970–71 to 2025–26

1970–71 to 1978–79Bill Fitch304–434.412—
1979–80Stan Albeck37–45.451—
1980–81 to 1981–82Bill Musselman27–67.287—
1980–81 to 1981–82Don Delaney7–19.269-1.8
1981–82

CLR

2 coaches · 1946–47

1946–47Dutch Dehnert17–20.459—
1946–47Roy Clifford13–10.565—

DAL

10 coaches · 1980–81 to 2025–26

1980–81 to 1995–96Dick Motta329–409.446—
1987–88 to 1989–90John MacLeod96–79.549+10.3
1989–90 to 1992–93Richie Adubato94–170.356-19.3
1992–93Gar Heard9–44.170—
1993–94Quinn Buckner

DEN

18 coaches · 1976–77 to 2025–26

1976–77 to 1978–79Larry Brown126–91.581—
1978–79 to 1980–81Donnie Walsh60–82.423-15.8
1980–81 to 1989–90Doug Moe432–357.548+12.5
1990–91 to 1991–92Paul Westhead44–120.268-27.9
1992–93 to 2001–02Dan Issel

DET

38 coaches · 1948–49 to 2025–26

1948–49Carl Bennett0–6.000—
1948–49Curly Armstrong22–32.407—
1949–50 to 1950–51Murray Mendenhall72–64.529—
1951–52 to 1953–54Paul Birch105–102.507-2.2
1954–55 to 1957–58

DNN

1 coaches · 1949–50

1949–50Jimmy Darden11–51.177—

DTF

2 coaches · 1946–47

1946–47Glenn M. Curtis12–22.353—
1946–47Philip Sachs8–18.308—

GS

25 coaches · 1946–47 to 2025–26

1946–47 to 1954–55Eddie Gottlieb263–318.453—
1955–56 to 1957–58George Senesky119–97.551+9.8
1958–59Al Cervi32–40.444—
1959–60 to 1960–61Neil Johnston95–59.617—
1961–62

HOU

16 coaches · 1967–68 to 2025–26

1967–68 to 1969–70Jack McMahon61–129.321—
1969–70 to 1970–71Alex Hannum58–80.420+9.9
1971–72 to 1972–73Tex Winter51–78.395-2.5
1972–73 to 1975–76Johnny Egan129–152.459+6.4
1976–77 to 1978–79Tom Nissalke

IND

15 coaches · 1976–77 to 2025–26

1976–77 to 1979–80Bobby Leonard142–186.433—
1980–81 to 1983–84Jack McKinney125–203.381-5.2
1984–85 to 1988–89George Irvine54–130.293-8.8
1986–87 to 1988–89Jack Ramsay79–92.462+16.9
1988–89 to 1990–91Dick Versace

INJ

2 coaches · 1948–49

1948–49Bruce Hale4–13.235—
1948–49Burl Friddle14–29.326—

INO

3 coaches · 1949–50 to 1952–53

1949–50 to 1950–51Cliff Barker63–57.525—
1950–51Wally Jones7–5.583—
1951–52 to 1952–53Herm Schaefer62–75.453—

LAC

26 coaches · 1970–71 to 2025–26

1970–71 to 1971–72Dolph Schayes22–61.265—
1971–72Johnny McCarthy22–59.272—
1972–73 to 1975–76Jack Ramsay158–170.482—
1976–77Bob MacKinnon3–4.429—
1976–77

LAL

29 coaches · 1948–49 to 2025–26

1948–49 to 1958–59John Kundla423–302.583—
1957–58George Mikan9–30.231—
1959–60Jim Pollard14–25.359—
1959–60John Castellani11–25.306—
1960–61 to 1966–67

MEM

15 coaches · 1995–96 to 2025–26

1995–96 to 1996–97Brian Winters23–102.184—
1996–97Stu Jackson6–33.154—
1997–98 to 1999–00Brian Hill31–123.201—
1999–00 to 2012–13Lionel Hollins214–201.516+31.4
2000–01 to 2002–03

MIA

6 coaches · 1988–89 to 2025–26

1988–89 to 1990–91Ron Rothstein57–189.232—
1991–92 to 1994–95Kevin Loughery133–159.455+22.4
1994–95Alvin Gentry15–21.417—
1995–96 to 2007–08Pat Riley454–395.535—
2003–04 to 2005–06

MIL

18 coaches · 1968–69 to 2025–26

1968–69 to 1976–77Larry Costello410–264.608—
1976–77 to 1986–87Don Nelson540–344.611+0.3
1987–88 to 1991–92Del Harris191–154.554-5.7
1991–92Frank Hamblen23–42.354—
1992–93 to 1995–96Mike Dunleavy

MIN

14 coaches · 1989–90 to 2025–26

1989–90 to 1990–91Bill Musselman51–113.311—
1991–92 to 1992–93Jimmy Rodgers21–90.189-12.2
1992–93 to 1993–94Sidney Lowe33–102.244+5.5
1994–95 to 1995–96Bill Blair27–75.265+2.0
1995–96 to 2014–15Flip Saunders

NO

9 coaches · 2002–03 to 2025–26

2002–03Paul Silas47–35.573—
2003–04Tim Floyd41–41.500—
2004–05 to 2009–10Byron Scott203–216.484—
2009–10Jeff Bower34–39.466—
2010–11 to 2014–15

NY

32 coaches · 1946–47 to 2025–26

1946–47Neil Cohalan33–27.550—
1947–48 to 1955–56Joe Lapchick326–247.569—
1955–56 to 1957–58Vince Boryla80–85.485-8.4
1957–58 to 1959–60Andrew Levane48–51.4850.0
1959–60 to 1960–61Carl Braun

OKC

18 coaches · 1967–68 to 2025–26

1967–68 to 1968–69Al Bianchi53–111.323—
1969–70 to 1984–85Lenny Wilkens478–402.543+22.0
1972–73Bucky Buckwalter13–24.351—
1972–73Tom Nissalke13–32.289—
1973–74 to 1976–77

ORL

14 coaches · 1989–90 to 2025–26

1989–90 to 1992–93Matt Guokas111–217.338—
1993–94 to 2006–07Brian Hill267–192.582+24.3
1996–97Richie Adubato21–12.636—
1997–98 to 1998–99Chuck Daly74–58.561—
1999–00 to 2003–04

PHI

26 coaches · 1949–50 to 2025–26

1949–50 to 1956–57Al Cervi294–201.594—
1956–57 to 1959–60Paul Seymour155–124.556-3.8
1960–61 to 1967–68Alex Hannum257–145.639+8.4
1963–64 to 1965–66Dolph Schayes129–111.537-10.2
1968–69 to 1971–72Jack Ramsay

PHX

23 coaches · 1968–69 to 2025–26

1968–69 to 1969–70Johnny Kerr31–89.258—
1969–70 to 1972–73Jerry Colangelo59–60.496+23.8
1970–71 to 1996–97Cotton Fitzsimmons341–208.621+12.5
1972–73Butch van Breda Kolff3–4.429—
1973–74 to 1986–87

PIT

1 coaches · 1946–47

1946–47Paul Birch15–45.250—

POR

16 coaches · 1970–71 to 2025–26

1970–71 to 1971–72Rolland Todd41–97.297—
1971–72Stu Inman6–20.231—
1972–73 to 1973–74Jack McCloskey48–116.293—
1974–75 to 1975–76Lenny Wilkens75–89.457+16.5
1976–77 to 1985–86

PRO

4 coaches · 1946–47 to 1948–49

1946–47Robert Morris28–32.467—
1947–48Albert Soar2–17.105—
1947–48Nat Hickey4–25.138—
1948–49Ken Loeffler12–48.200—

SA

13 coaches · 1976–77 to 2025–26

1976–77 to 1979–80Doug Moe177–135.567—
1979–80 to 1991–92Bob Bass60–51.541-2.7
1980–81 to 1982–83Stan Albeck153–93.622+8.1
1983–84Morris McHone11–20.355—
1984–85 to 1985–86Cotton Fitzsimmons

SAC

32 coaches · 1948–49 to 2025–26

1948–49 to 1954–55Lester Harrison295–181.620—
1955–56 to 1958–59Bobby Wanzer98–136.419-20.1
1958–59 to 1959–60Tom Marshall35–94.271-14.8
1960–61 to 1962–63Charles Wolf118–121.494+22.2
1963–64 to 1966–67Jack McMahon

SHE

1 coaches · 1949–50

1949–50Ken Suesens22–40.355—

STB

2 coaches · 1946–47 to 1949–50

1946–47 to 1947–48Ken Loeffler67–42.615—
1948–49 to 1949–50Grady Lewis55–73.430-18.5

TOR

10 coaches · 1995–96 to 2025–26

1995–96Brendan Malone21–61.256—
1996–97 to 1997–98Darrell Walker41–90.313—
1997–98 to 1999–00Butch Carter73–92.442+12.9
2000–01 to 2002–03Lenny Wilkens113–133.459+1.7
2003–04

TRH

4 coaches · 1946–47

1946–47Dick Fitzgerald2–1.667—
1946–47Ed Sadowski3–9.250—
1946–47Lew Hayman0–1.000—
1946–47Red Rolfe17–27.386—

UTAH

9 coaches · 1974–75 to 2025–26

1974–75 to 1976–77Butch van Breda Kolff74–100.425—
1974–75 to 1978–79Elgin Baylor86–135.389-3.6
1974–75Scotty Robertson1–14.067—
1979–80 to 1981–82Tom Nissalke60–124.326—
1981–82 to 1988–89

WAT

2 coaches · 1949–50

1949–50Charley Shipp8–27.229—
1949–50Jack Smiley11–16.407—

WSC

3 coaches · 1946–47 to 1950–51

1946–47 to 1948–49Red Auerbach115–53.685—
1949–50Bob Feerick32–36.471—
1950–51Bones McKinney10–25.286—

WSH

26 coaches · 1961–62 to 2025–26

1961–62Jim Pollard18–62.225—
1962–63 to 1963–64Bobby Leonard44–78.361—
1962–63Jack McMahon12–26.316—
1964–65 to 1966–67Buddy Jeannette40–56.417—
1965–66

Derived from data/nba/coach-careers.json, built 2026-10-06. 286 of 633 handovers met the two-season floor. A tenure is every season a head coach ran the franchise, including a later return.