List of Los Angeles Lakers head coaches
Encyclopedia
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
are an American professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, formerly known as the Minneapolis Lakers from 1948 to 1960. They play in the Pacific Division
Pacific Division (NBA)
The Pacific Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings...
of the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) The Lakers have played their home games at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
since 1999. The franchise took its official name from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
's nickname, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. At the time the name was revealed, the Lakers were in Minneapolis. In their franchise history, the team has only missed the NBA playoffs five times. According to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine, the Lakers are the second most valuable basketball franchise in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, valued at approximately US$584 million, surpassed only by the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. The Lakers are owned by Jerry Buss
Jerry Buss
Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss Ph.D., M.S. is an American businessman, real estate investor, and a former chemist. He is the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team along with other professional sports franchises in Southern California...
, and Mitch Kupchak
Mitch Kupchak
Mitchell "Mitch" Kupchak is a retired American basketball player and current general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers since the 2000–01 NBA season after predecessor Jerry West moved to the Memphis Grizzlies organization....
is their general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
.
There have been 22 head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
es for the Lakers since joining the NBA. The franchise's first head coach while in the NBA was John Kundla
John Kundla
John Albert Kundla is a former college and professional basketball coach.-Playing and early coaching careers:...
, who coached for 11 seasons with the Lakers. The Lakers won four additional NBA championships in the next five years under Kundla. Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (820), most playoff games coached (181), most regular-season game wins (553), and most playoff wins (118). The Lakers have won 16 championships; five with Kundla, five with Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
, four with Riley, one with Bill Sharman
Bill Sharman
William Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest...
, and one with Paul Westhead
Paul Westhead
Paul Westhead is a basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the University of Oregon women's team...
. With the Lakers, Sharman, Riley, and Del Harris
Del Harris
Delmer William Harris is a basketball coach, currently the head coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. He was an assistant coach for the NBA's New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Dallas Mavericks...
have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association 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...
, in , , and respectively. Kundla, Bill Sharman
Bill Sharman
William Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest...
, Riley and Jackson have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. George Mikan
George Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
, Jim Pollard, Jerry West
Jerry West
Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr...
, Riley, Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, and Kurt Rambis
Kurt Rambis
Darrell Kurt Rambis is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.-Biography:...
have all played and head coached for the Lakers. Mike Brown is going to be the head coach of the Lakers for the .
__FORCETOC__
Key
| GC | Games coached |
| W | Wins |
| L | Losses |
| Win% | Winning percentage Winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win... |
| # | Number of coaches |
| * | Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Lakers |
| Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach | |
|Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach and
spent entire coaching career with the Lakers
|}
Coaches
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
seasons.
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
| 1 | } | – | 653 | 390 | 263 | .597 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 5 Championships (1949 1949 NBA Finals The 1949 BAA Finals was the championship round of the Basketball Association of America's 1948–49 season. Basketball Association of America would eventually become the National Basketball Association .... , 1950 1950 NBA Finals The 1950 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's first season, the 1949–50 season.6'8" Dolph Schayes of Syracuse led his team out to the finals after a 16.8 ppg average during the regular season. George Mikan, however, averaged 27.4 ppg and led the league... , 1952 1952 NBA Finals -Series Summary:Lakers vs. Knicks. Start of the first dynasty 1952-1954 Lakers. Lakers won 4-3.Lakers win series 4-3-Team rosters:-External links:*... , 1953 1953 NBA Finals -Series Summary:Lakers win series 4-1-Team rosters:-External links:*... , 1954 1954 NBA Finals -Series Summary:Lakers win series 4-3-Team rosters:-External links:*... ) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history |
|
| 2 | * | 39 | 9 | 30 | .231 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | |||
| 3— | } | 72 | 33 | 39 | .458 | 13 | 6 | 7 | .462 | One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history | ||
| 43 | * | 36 | 11 | 25 | .306 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | |||
| 54 | 39 | 14 | 25 | .359 | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | ||||
| 65 | * | – | 560 | 315 | 245 | .563 | 71 | 33 | 38 | .465 | ||
| 76 | – | 164 | 107 | 57 | .652 | 33 | 21 | 12 | .636 | |||
| 87 | – | 164 | 94 | 70 | .573 | 30 | 16 | 14 | .533 | |||
| 98 | – | 410 | 246 | 164 | .600 | 37 | 22 | 15 | .595 | NBA Coach of the Year NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association 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... 1 Championship (1972 1972 NBA Finals The 1972 NBA Finals was played at the conclusion of the 1971–72 NBA season. The Western Conference Champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference Champion New York Knicks in five games... ) |
||
| 109 | * | – | 246 | 145 | 101 | .589 | 22 | 8 | 14 | .364 | ||
| 1110 | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | ||||
| 1211 | – | 161 | 111 | 50 | .689 | 19 | 13 | 6 | .684 | 1 Championship (1980 1980 NBA Finals The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But midway through Game 5, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to victory... ) |
||
| 1312 | – | 727 | 533 | 194 | .733 | 149 | 102 | 47 | .685 | NBA Coach of the Year NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association 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... 4 Championships (1982 1982 NBA Finals The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1981-82 NBA season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Los Angeles Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers.... , 1985 1985 NBA Finals The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1984–85 NBA season.The Boston Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA Champions for the first time since the . The Celtics had homecourt advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63-19... , 1987 1987 NBA Finals The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's junior sky hook in Game 4... , 1988 1988 NBA Finals The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles... ) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history |
||
| 1413 | – | 164 | 101 | 63 | .616 | 23 | 13 | 10 | .565 | |||
| 1514 | * | – | 146 | 66 | 80 | .452 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | ||
| 1615 | * | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | |||
| 1716 | * | 16 | 5 | 11 | .313 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | |||
| 1817 | – | 340 | 224 | 116 | .659 | 36 | 17 | 19 | .472 | NBA Coach of the Year NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association 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... |
||
| 19— | * | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | |||
| 2018 | 37 | 24 | 13 | .649 | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | ||||
| 2119 | – | 410 | 287 | 123 | .700 | 92 | 64 | 28 | .696 | 3 Championships (2000 2000 NBA Finals The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1999-2000 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage... , 2001 2001 NBA Finals The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2000-01 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage in a best-of-seven format.The... , 2002 2002 NBA Finals The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2001–02 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and two-time defending NBA champions, and the New Jersey Nets, champions of the... ) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history |
||
| 2220 | 43 | 24 | 19 | .558 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | ||||
| 2321 | 39 | 10 | 29 | .256 | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | ||||
| 24— | – | 492 | 323 | 169 | .657 | 89 | 54 | 35 | .607 | 2 Championships (2009 2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2008-09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending Western Conference champions, and the Orlando Magic, champions of the... , 2010 2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending NBA champions, and the Boston Celtics, champions of the Eastern Conference... ) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history |
||
| 2522 | –present | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | 1— | |||