NBA Coaches With Most Playoff Wins

Phil Jackson is the all-time leader of wins as a coach in NBA playoff history, with 229. He was the head tactician of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers when they were heavy favorites in basketball betting to win championships. Jackson is the only head coach in the league’s history to record over 200 wins in the postseason. Because of this success, he won 11 titles, six with the Bulls and five with the Lakers.

11x NBA champion as a Head Coach.

Phil Jackson has been named one of the top 15 coaches in NBA History! #NBA75https://t.co/68MUbaNxmt

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) February 11, 2022

Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich preceded Jackson on the list with 171 and 169 wins, respectively. Both legendary coaches have won five NBA titles: with Riley led the Lakers to four championships and got the Heat another one in 2006, while Popovich led the Spurs to the promised land in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. Popovich can surpass Riley, who is still an active coach today in the NBA.

Three other great coaches have cracked the 100-win barrier as Doc Rivers, Erik Spoelestra, and Larry Brown tallied 111, 107 and 100. These three coaches have won NBA titles, with Spoelstra winning two (with Miami in 2012 and 2013), and Rivers (with Boston in 2008) and Brown (Detroit in 2004) also have one each.

Congrats to Erik Spoelstra of the @MiamiHEAT
for moving to 5th all-time in Playoff wins 👏 pic.twitter.com/pupDUP0bPX

— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2023

Completing the top-10 list of NBA coaches with the most playoff wins are Steve Kerr (99), Red Auerbach (99), Jerry Sloan (98), and K.C. Jones (81). Only Popovich, Spoelstra, and Kerr are the only active coaches among the aforementioned names today. If they lead their respective teams to more playoff wins, they will eventually move up the rankings. Below is a table of NBA coaches with the most playoff wins.

NBA Coaches With Most Playoff Wins