NBA coaches with most wins in history

From Red Auerbach to Gregg Popovich, NBA teams have been led by great coaches and teachers of the game for decades.
Entering the 2024-25 NBA season, here are the 10 coaches with the most wins in NBA history.
1. Gregg Popovich – Spurs – 1,388 career wins

Popovich, in his 26th year as Spurs head coach, enters the season as the longest-tenured head coach in American professional sports.
He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2003, 2012 and 2014. Pop also has led San Antonio to the NBA’s best regular season record on five occasions. (1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2011-12, and 2013-14).
2. Don Nelson – Bucks, Warriors, Knicks, Mavericks – 1,335 wins

A three-time NBA coach of the year (1983, 1985 and 1992), Nellie was known for his up-tempo style of play, gregarious attitude and creating the “point forward” position.
Among other accomplishments, Nelson coached the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors, which upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.
3. Lenny Wilkens – Thunder, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Raptors, Knicks – 1,332 wins

A Hall of Fame point guard in his own right, Wilkens led the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 NBA Championship, and later earned the 1994 NBA Coach Of The Year award with the Atlanta Hawks.
4. Jerry Sloan – Bulls, Jazz – 1,221 wins

A fierce competitor, Sloan helped popularize the pick-and-roll, leaning on the star duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone over 23 seasons with the Utah Jazz.
Sloan was the first coach to win 1,000 games with one organization in NBA history.
5. Pat Riley – Lakers, Knicks, Heat – 1,210 wins

A foundational force in NBA history, Riley came to prominence with the Showtime Lakers, then helped build the Knicks and Heat into hard-nosed Eastern Conference competitors.
Riley was named NBA Coach Of The Year in 1990, 1993 and 1997 and served as a head coach in nine NBA All-Star games.
* Rivers, Rick Carlisle and Erik Spoelstra enter the 2024-25 season as the only active coaches in the top 30 in all-time wins. Carlisle has 943 victories; Spoelstra’s won 750 games.