NBA Coaches With Most Playoff Wins

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Pat Riley, the president of the Miami Heat National Basketball Association team, speaks during the team's arrival at Eglin Air Force Base.
(Wikimedia Commons/Department of Defense)
Anatoly Pimentel @AnatolyPimentel Nov 20, 2023, 9:27 PM

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.

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.

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

RankCoachPlayoff Wins
1 Phil Jackson229
2Pat Riley171
3Gregg Popovich169
4Doc Rivers111
5Erik Spoelstra109
6Larry Brown100
7Steve Kerr99
8Red Auerbach99
9Jerry Sloan98
10K.C. Jones81

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About the Author

Anatoly Pimentel

Read More @AnatolyPimentel

Anatoly Pimentel is an NBA and MMA writer previously featured in ASEAN Sports, Asian Persuasion MMA, and Overtime Heroics MMA. He graduated from Adamson University with a B.A in Communication and is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM.

Anatoly Pimentel is an NBA and MMA writer previously featured in ASEAN Sports, Asian Persuasion MMA, and Overtime Heroics MMA. He graduated from Adamson University with a B.A in Communication and is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM.