NBA Coaches With the Most Championship Titles
Chicago Bulls’ coach Phil Jackson hugging Michael Jordan
We all know that great NBA players help create basketball dynasties, but they typically don’t reach their full potential without a great coach leading the way. These player-coach partnerships are the stuff of legends. Think Steph Curry and Steve Kerr. Pat Riley and Magic Johnson. And, of course, Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan.
But which NBA coaches led their teams to the most championship titles? These six have at least four championship rings (and counting).
6. Steve Kerr
Draymond Green, Steve Kerr
No. of wins: 4
Team(s) won with (years): Golden State Warriors (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
Coaching career: 2014–present
Bottom line: Steve Kerr is still in the prime of his coaching career as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. It doesn’t hurt that he’s coached players Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant — some of the sport’s best players ever — to help seal the team’s dynasty status.
Kerr has also coached for the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team. Plus, he’s the first NBA head coach to lead his team to at least 67 wins in three consecutive seasons.
3. John Kundla (Tie)
John kundla
No. of wins: 5
Team(s) won with (years): Minneapolis Lakers (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)
Coaching career: 1948-1959
Bottom line: John Kundla won a lot in his rather short NBA coaching career. When he came on board as the first coach of the Minneapolis Lakers, the team was immediately successful, with Hall of Fame center George Mikan and star Jim Pollard as its top players.
Kundla left the NBA to coach at the University of Minnesota for 10 seasons and has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
3. Pat Riley (Tie)
Pat riley
No. of wins: 5
Team(s) won with (years): Los Angeles Lakers (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) Miami Heat (2006)
Coaching career: 1981–1990, 1991–2003, 2005–2008
Bottom line: Nicknamed “The Godfather,” Pat Riley has made a name for himself as an NBA player, coach and executive, having appeared in a whopping 25 percent of all NBA Finals in history over the course of his three career phases.
As coach, he won four times with the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s Showtime era when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were leading the pack.
3. Gregg Popovich (Tie)
Patty Mills, Gregg Popovich
No. of wins: 5
Team(s) won with (years): San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
Coaching career: 1996–present
Bottom line: “Coach Pop” is not only the longest-tenured active coach in the NBA but also any other major American sports league. As such, it’s not surprising that he’s earned the most wins of any coach in NBA history.
And he’s done it all with the San Antonio Spurs, winning various championships throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Like Steve Kerr, he’s also served on the coaching staff of the U.S. men’s national basketball team and led the team to a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
2. Red Auerbach
Red auerbach
No. of wins: 9
Team(s) won with (years): Boston Celtics (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)
Coaching career: 1946–1966
Bottom line: While Red Auerbach was also the head coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri-Cities Blackhawks, his most notable time as head coach was with the Boston Celtics. He’s known for mentoring basketball stars Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and K.C. Jones.
While his winning record is obviously impressive, he’s also known for his work breaking down color barriers in professional basketball. In fact, he drafted Chuck Cooper, the first African American NBA player, in 1950; introduced the first African American starting five in 1964; and hired Bill Russell as the first African American head coach in 1966.
1. Phil Jackson
Phil jackson with michael jordan
No. of wins: 11
Team(s) won with (years): Chicago Bulls (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
Coaching career: 1989–1998, 1999–2004, 2005–2011
Bottom line: Phil Jackson has more NBA championship rings than he has fingers to wear them all. Influenced by Eastern philosophy, he has a holistic approach to coaching that’s earned him the nickname “Zen Master.”
Let’s just say it works, as he’s known for creating two NBA dynasty teams in his coaching career. The first was with the Chicago Bulls during its Michael Jordan era, and the second was with the Los Angeles Lakers during its Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant era.
For more on NBA coaches, check “Most Underrated NBA Coaches of All Time.”