- Get the latest betting odds on the top favorites for the NBA's Coach of the Year race.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was named NBA Coach of the Year for his impressive work at the helm during the 2025-26 season.
Despite being without Jayson Tatum for much of the season, Mazzulla guided the Celtics to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They crushed their preseason win total of 41.5 by 14.5 victories. Mazzulla came through as a +2500 long shot in the preseason NBA Coach of the Year odds market.
NBA betting lines for the 2027 NBA Coach of the Year race won’t be available until later in the summer, but here’s a look at the early contenders:
Odds to Win NBA Coach of the Year 2027
| Coach | Team |
|---|---|
| Will Hardy | Jazz |
| Charles Lee | Hornets |
| Quin Snyder | Hawks |
| Brian Keefe | Wizards |
| Mitch Johnson | Spurs |
| David Adelman | Nuggets |
| Rick Carlisle | Pacers |
| Erik Spoelstra | Heat |
| Chris Finch | Timberwolves |
| JJ Redick | Lakers |
Who Will Win NBA Coach of the Year in 2027?
It’s too early to name the 2027 NBA Coach of the Year, but there’s a clear formula for what voters reward. And that formula should drive how bettors approach the market.
Voters consistently gravitate toward coaches whose teams outperform expectations, and they rarely hand the trophy to anyone outside the top seeds.
Mazzulla’s 2025-26 campaign is the template. With Tatum lost to an Achilles injury, Boston’s preseason win total sat at 41.5. The Celtics went out and won 56 games anyway, claimed the No. 2 seed in the East, and Mazzulla walked away with the award.
His closest competition was Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who had a genuinely strong case. The Pistons won 60 games, held the No. 1 seed for much of the season, and soared past their preseason over/under of 46.5.
In the end, lower expectations tipped the scales toward Mazzulla. But the margin was close enough to illustrate something important: blowing past a win total is no longer sufficient on its own. Voters want to see elite results, not just a feel-good story.
The historical data backs this up. Since 2010-11, Coach of the Year winners have averaged the 1.7 seed — a figure that tightens to 1.5 when the three shortened seasons are removed. Of the last 16 winners, 10 claimed the No. 1 seed. No winner has finished lower than fourth.
Meanwhile, the average winner has exceeded his team’s preseason win total by 12.5 games over that same stretch.
As a result, the profile of a Coach of the Year candidate comes from a team with a win total in the 40s that ultimately lands a top-two seed.
Looking ahead to next year, Will Hardy’s Utah Jazz stand out as a squad that’s spent years in tank mode and may be ready for a breakthrough campaign.
Prediction: Will Hardy
NBA Coach of the Year Voting 2025-26
| Rank | Name | Team | Vote Pts | 1st Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Mazzulla | BOS | 392 | 62 |
| 2 | J.B. Bickerstaff | DET | 312 | 29 |
| 3 | Mitch Johnson | SAS | 133 | 9 |
| 4 | Charles Lee | CHA | 31 | 0 |
| 5 | Jordan Ott | PHX | 11 | 0 |
| 6 | Mark Daigneault | OKC | 10 | 0 |
| 7 | JJ Redick | LAL | 3 | 0 |
| Tiago Splitter | POR | 3 | 0 |
Past NBA Coach of the Year Winners
| Year | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Joe Mazzulla | BOS |
| 2024-25 | Kenny Atkinson | CLE |
| 2023-24 | Mark Daigneault | OKC |
| 2022-23 | Mike Brown | SAC |
| 2021-22 | Monty Williams | PHO |
| 2020-21 | Tom Thibodeau | NYK |
| 2019-20 | Nick Nurse | TOR |
| 2018-19 | Mike Budenholzer | MIL |
| 2017-18 | Dwane Casey | TOR |
| 2016-17 | Mike D'Antoni | HOU |
| 2015-16 | Steve Kerr | GSW |
| 2014-15 | Mike Budenholzer | ATL |
| 2013-14 | Gregg Popovich | SAS |
| 2012-13 | George Karl | DEN |
| 2011-12 | Gregg Popovich | SAS |
| 2010-11 | Tom Thibodeau | CHI |
| 2009-10 | Scott Brooks | OKC |
| 2008-09 | Mike Brown | CLE |
| 2007-08 | Byron Scott | NOH |
| 2006-07 | Sam Mitchell | TOR |
| 2005-06 | Avery Johnson | DAL |
| 2004-05 | Mike D'Antoni | PHO |
| 2003-04 | Hubie Brown | MEM |
| 2002-03 | Gregg Popovich | SAS |
| 2001-02 | Rick Carlisle | DET |
| 2000-01 | Larry Brown | PHI |
| 1999-00 | Doc Rivers | ORL |
| 1998-99 | Mike Dunleavy | POR |
| 1997-98 | Larry Bird | IND |
| 1996-97 | Pat Riley | MIA |
| 1995-96 | Phil Jackson | CHI |
| 1994-95 | Del Harris | LAL |
| 1993-94 | Lenny Wilkens | ATL |
| 1992-93 | Pat Riley | NYK |
| 1991-92 | Don Nelson | GSW |
| 1990-91 | Don Chaney | HOU |
| 1989-90 | Pat Riley | LAL |
| 1988-89 | Cotton Fitzsimmons | PHO |
| 1987-88 | Doug Moe | DEN |
| 1986-87 | Mike Schuler | POR |
| 1985-86 | Mike Fratello | ATL |
| 1984-85 | Don Nelson | MIL |
| 1983-84 | Frank Layden | UTA |
| 1982-83 | Don Nelson | MIL |
| 1981-82 | Gene Shue | WSB |
| 1980-81 | Jack McKinney | IND |
| 1979-80 | Bill Fitch | BOS |
| 1978-79 | Cotton Fitzsimmons | KCK |
| 1977-78 | Hubie Brown | ATL |
| 1976-77 | Tim Nissalke | HOU |
| 1975-76 | Bill Fitch | CLE |
| 1974-75 | Phil Johnson | KCO |
| 1973-74 | Ray Scott | DET |
| 1972-73 | Tom Heinsohn | BOS |
| 1971-72 | Bill Sharman | LAL |
| 1970-71 | Dick Motta | CHI |
| 1969-70 | Red Holzman | NYK |
| 1968-69 | Gene Shue | BAL |
| 1967-68 | Richie Guerin | STL |
| 1966-67 | Red Kerr | CHI |
| 1965-66 | Dolph Schayes | PHI |
| 1964-65 | Red Auerbach | BOS |
| 1963-64 | Alex Hannum | SFW |
| 1962-63 | Harry Gallatin | STL |
Who Has Won the Most Coach of the Year Awards in NBA History?
Three different coaches have won three Coach of the year awards in NBA history:
- Don Nelson (1983, 1985, 1992)
- Gregg Popovich (2003, 2012, 2014)
- Pat Riley (1990, 1993, 1997)
Larry Brown also won three ABA Coach of the Year awards, claiming the honor in 1973, 1975, and 1976.
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