25 Winningest NBA Coaches of All Time

One of the key components of an NBA team’s success is a great coach. These coaches provide the necessary leadership to the team and persuade them to buy into their basketball system, which could eventually win them a title. These coaches also greatly help an NBA team’s position in NBA odds to be a top contender.

Among the long list of great coaches in the NBA, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs leads the league with the most wins in history, with 1,366. He broke the record previously held by Don Nelson in March 2022. This incredible feat was primarily because of his 27-year role as the Spurs’ head tactician, which made him one of the top 6 longest-tenured NBA coaches.

#23HoopClass inductee Gregg Popovich:

5x NBA Champion
3x NBA Coach of the Year
Most Wins as a Head Coach in NBA History
Named one of the Top 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 1, 2023

Don Nelson currently holds the second-most number of wins by a head coach with 1,335 during his 31-year tenure as the head tactician of the Milwaukee Bucks (11 seasons), Golden State Warriors (11 seasons), Dallas Mavericks (eight seasons), and the New York Knicks (one season). 

Following Nelson in the most wins category is Lenny Wilkens. He spent 32 seasons with Seattle Supersonics (11 seasons), Cleveland Cavaliers (seven seasons), Atlanta Hawks (seven seasons), Toronto Raptors (three seasons), Portland Trail Blazers (two seasons), and the New York Knicks (two seasons). Wilkens led the Sonics to back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979 and helped them capture the title in 1979.

25 Winningest NBA Coaches of All Time

*Active coaches

Win total through the 2022-23 season.