Although the NBA’s head coaching carousel continued to turn during the 2018/19 season and 2019 offseason, most of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches remained in no danger of losing their jobs.
Of the seven head coaches who have been replaced since we listed the NBA’s longest-tenured coaches last July, none had held their position since before June 2015. Fred Hoiberg (12th) and Tyronn Lue (14th) at least ranked in the top half of last year’s longest-tenured list, but none of the other five displaced coaches had more than three years on the job. Igor Kokoskov got just one year in Phoenix before being dismissed.
The names atop the list of longest-tenured coaches may be unchanged, but given the turnover in the head coaching ranks, it’s time we update our list.
Here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team, sorted by the date they were hired:
- Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
- Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
- Rick Carlisle, Mavericks: May 2008
- Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers: August 2012
- Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
- Brad Stevens, Celtics: July 2013
- Brett Brown, Sixers: August 2013
- Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
- Quin Snyder, Jazz: June 2014
- Billy Donovan, Thunder: April 2015
- Alvin Gentry, Pelicans: May 2015 (remained Warriors assistant through playoffs)
- Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
- Kenny Atkinson, Nets: April 2016 (remained Hawks assistant through Atlanta’s playoff run)
- Scott Brooks, Wizards: April 2016
- Nate McMillan, Pacers: May 2016
- Mike D’Antoni, Rockets: June 2016
- David Fizdale, Knicks: May 7, 2018
- James Borrego, Hornets: May 10, 2018
- Lloyd Pierce, Hawks: May 11, 2018
- Mike Budenholzer, Bucks: May 17, 2018
- Steve Clifford, Magic: May 30, 2018
- Dwane Casey, Pistons: June 11, 2018
- Nick Nurse, Raptors: June 14, 2018
- Jim Boylen, Bulls: December 2018
- Ryan Saunders, Timberwolves: January 2019
- Luke Walton, Kings: April 2019
- Monty Williams, Suns: May 3, 2019 (remained Sixers assistant through Philadelphia’s playoff run)
- John Beilein, Cavaliers: May 13, 2019
- Frank Vogel, Lakers: May 13, 2019
- Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
And only 6 of the 30 have won a championship
As the head coach anyways
Gregg Popovich took a gamble when he hired himself for the job, and I guess it paid off for he and him.