Richard Preston Carlisle is the head coach of the
NBAThe 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...
's
Dallas MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. He has also coached the
Indiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and
Detroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, and was previously a player in the NBA. He is also one of the only 11 people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.
Playing career
Carlisle was raised in
Lisbon, New YorkLisbon is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 4,047 at the 2000 census.By some accounts, the town is named after the capital of Portugal. However, the 1810 US Census for the town shows the town's name as Lisburn, which is a city located in Northern Ireland...
. He graduated from
Worcester AcademyWorcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
and played two years of
college basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at the
University of MaineThe University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
from 1979 to 1981, before transferring to the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He co-captained the Cavaliers to the
Final FourFinal Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
in 1984 and averaged 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game during his college career.
NBA
After graduating that same year, he was drafted by the
Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
(23rd pick in the third round), where he played alongside
Larry BirdLarry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
. With the Celtics under coach K.C. Jones he won the NBA championship in
1986The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985-86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their 16th NBA championship. The championship would...
against the
Houston RocketsThe Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
and lost in the
NBA FinalsThe NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
in
1985The 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...
and
1987The 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...
to the
Los Angeles LakersThe 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...
. From 1984 to 1987, he averaged 2.2 points, 1.0 assists and 0.8 rebounds per game in a limited reserve role. Carlisle then played for
Bill MusselmanWilliam Clifford Musselman was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. He was a fiercely intense coach who once was quoted as saying "defeat is worse than death, because you have to live with defeat."-Early life:Musselman was the second of five children....
's
Albany PatroonsThe Albany Patroons were a professional basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association ....
, and was then signed as a free agent by the
New York KnicksThe 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...
under coach
Rick PitinoRick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
, where he played alongside future star
Patrick EwingPatrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
. In 1989, Carlisle played in 5 games with the
New Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
under
Bill Fitch.
Coaching career
Later in 1989, he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Nets, where he spent five seasons under Bill Fitch and
Chuck DalyCharles Jerome "Chuck" Daly was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to consecutive National Basketball Association Championships in 1989 and 1990, and the Dream Team to the men's basketball gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He had a 14-year NBA coaching...
. In 1994, Carlisle joined the assistant coaching staff with the
Portland Trail BlazersThe Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
under coach
P. J. Carlesimo, where he spent three seasons.
In 1997, Carlisle joined the
Indiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
organization as an assistant coach under his former teammate, Larry Bird. During his time as Pacers assistant coach, he helped the Pacers to two of their best seasons ever. First, in
1997-98The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals...
, the Pacers stretched the
Chicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
to the limit, narrowly losing the deciding seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual NBA champion. Then, in
1999-2000 season-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers*Co-Rookies of the Year: Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls; Steve Francis, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat...
, the Pacers made the
NBA FinalsThe 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...
for the first time, ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird stepped down as coach, and pushed for Carlisle to be selected as his replacement, but Pacers team president
Donnie WalshJoseph Donald Walsh Jr., better known as Donnie Walsh is a former professional basketball coach, and former president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks.-Biography:...
gave the job to
Isiah ThomasIsiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...
.
Detroit Pistons
For the 2001 season, Carlisle was hired by the Detroit Pistons to be their new head coach. In two seasons as Pistons' head coach with players like
Chauncey BillupsChauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...
,
Ben WallaceBen Camey Wallace is an American basketball center for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University and signed with the Washington Bullets as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
,
Mehmet OkurMehmet Murat Okur is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for Türk Telekom B.K.. He is also under contract with the Utah Jazz of the NBA, and can return to that team when the 2011 NBA lockout ends...
and
Tayshaun PrinceTayshaun Durell Prince is an American basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. Prince is a small forward, listed at and . A graduate of Dominguez High School and the University of Kentucky, Prince was drafted in the first round by the...
, Carlisle led them to consecutive 50-32 records (.610) with Central Division titles and playoff appearances, and was named
Coach of the YearThe 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 2002. However, the Pistons fired Carlisle after the
2002-03 seasonThe 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
with a year remaining on his contract and hired
Larry BrownLawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
. Friction between Carlisle and team ownership was cited as one of the primary reasons for the firing. Ironically, Carlisle's Pistons had just dispatched Brown's
Philadelphia 76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
in the Conference Semifinals.
Indiana Pacers
For the
2003-04 season-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
, Carlisle was re-hired by the Indiana Pacers, this time as its head coach (Isiah Thomas had been fired, almost immediately after Larry Bird was brought back as the new President of Basketball Operations). In his first season, Carlisle led the Pacers to the Central Division title and NBA's best regular-season record (61-21; 74.4%). In the playoffs, the team eliminated both the Boston Celtics and
Miami HeatThe Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, before losing to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. In that year, he was nominated coach for the All-Star Game. In 2005, the Pacers roster was decimated by injuries (most notably, those of
Jermaine O'NealJermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...
,
Stephen JacksonStephen Jesse Jackson is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson is a 6'8" guard-forward.-Early life, high school, and college:Jackson was born in Houston and grew up in Port Arthur, Texas...
and
Jamaal TinsleyJamaal Lee Tinsley is an American professional basketball player. Tinsley was drafted out of Iowa State University by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, and then on to the Indiana Pacers on draft night...
), and suspensions (due to the Pacers–Pistons brawl attributed to
Ron ArtestMetta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
at
The Palace of Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
). Carlisle was still able to rally the Pacers to the
NBA PlayoffsThe 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
that season, though. As the sixth seed, they again defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round, before being defeated once again by the eventual Eastern Conference champion, the Pistons.
After the Pacers finished the
2006-07 seasonThe 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
with a 35-47 record (missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997), Carlisle's tenure as head coach ended; it is unclear whether he voluntarily resigned, was fired, or was pushed to resign. In four seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Carlisle compiled a 181-147 record.
On June 12, 2007, Carlisle announced that he would also resign from his position as Executive Vice-president of the Pacers. After leaving Indiana, Carlisle worked as a studio analyst for
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
before signing with the Dallas Mavericks as its new head coach.
Dallas Mavericks
On May 9, 2008, Carlisle signed a four-year deal with
Mark CubanMark Cuban is an American business magnate and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet....
's Dallas Mavericks, replacing
Avery JohnsonAvery Johnson is a former American professional basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association team New Jersey Nets. He has also coached the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to their first NBA Finals appearance and four consecutive 50+ win seasons...
. He led them to a 50-32 record including a first round win against the
San Antonio SpursThe San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. They would lose to the
Denver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
4-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals. The next year he coached the Mavs to a 55-27 record, first in Southwest Division and second in the West, but lost in the first round to the Spurs. In
2010The 2009-10 Dallas Mavericks season was the 30th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association .-Key dates:*June 25 - The 2009 NBA Draft took place in New York City.*July 8 - The free agency period started.-Draft picks:...
, Dallas won sixteen of its first twenty games in a competitive
Western ConferenceBelow 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....
.
The 2010-11 season was Carlisle's most successful as a head coach. The Mavericks finished the regular season with a 57-25 win-loss record. On May 8, 2011, he coached the Mavericks to a sweep of the two-time defending champion
Los Angeles LakersThe 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...
in the
Western Conference SemifinalsThe 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
.
On May 25, 2011, he coached the Mavericks to a 4-1 series win over the
Oklahoma City ThunderThe Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
in the Western Conference Finals, the first Conference Finals victory of his coaching career. In the
2011 NBA FinalsThe 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010–11 season of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2, to win their first NBA title...
, he coached the Mavericks to a 4-2 series victory over the Miami Heat for the franchise's first championship.
Head coaching record
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DETThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
| align="left" |
|82||50||32||.610|| align="center" |1st in Central||10||4||6||.400
| align="center" |Lost in
Conf. SemifinalsThe 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...
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| align="left" |DET
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|82||50||32||.610|| align="center" |1st in Central||17||8||9||.471
| align="center" |Lost in
Conf. FinalsThe 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
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INDThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
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|82||61||21||.744|| align="center" |1st in Central||16||10||6||.625
| align="center" |Lost in
Conf. FinalsThe 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
|-
| align="left" |IND
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|82||44||38||.537|| align="center" |3rd in Central||13||6||7||.462
| align="center" |Lost in
Conf. SemifinalsThe 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
|-
| align="left" |IND
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|82||41||41||.500|| align="center" |4th in Central||6||2||4||.333
| align="center" |Lost in
First RoundThe 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
|-
| align="left" |IND
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|82||35||47||.427|| align="center" |4th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
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DALThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
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|82||50||32||.610|| align="center" |3rd in Southwest||10||5||5||.500
| align="center" |Lost in
Conf. SemifinalsThe 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||55||27||.671|| align="center" |1st in Southwest||6||2||4||.333
| align="center" |Lost in
First RoundThe 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
|-
| align="left" |DAL
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|82||57||25||.695|| align="center" |2nd in Southwest||21||16||5||.762
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Won NBA ChampionshipThe 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010–11 season of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2, to win their first NBA title...
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Career
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External links