Exploring which active NBA head coaches have won an NBA Championship in the past.
As the start of the 2024-25 NBA season quickly approaches, there may not be a better time to reset the landscape of the league. With a handful of new head coaches joining the NBA ranks this year, it sparked curiosity in looking at the list of head coaches who have already reached the top of their professional mountain. Which active head coaches in the NBA have already won an NBA Championship?
Interestingly enough, there are 10 active head coaches in the NBA who have won an NBA Championship previously. The list of coaches is Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Nick Nurse (76ers), Rick Carlisle (Pacers), Doc Rivers (Bucks), Erik Spoelstra (Heat), Steve Kerr (Warriors), Michael Malone (Nuggets), Tyronn Lue (Clippers), Mike Budenholzer (Suns), and Gregg Popovich (Spurs).
To add even more context to this topic, only five of those active head coaches are still with the teams where they won the championship. If nothing else, that just goes to show how volatile head-coaching jobs are in the NBA and that even when one does reach the top of the mountain, job security is far from a sure thing.
Which active head coaches could be inching their way toward their opportunity to add "champion" to their resume? Let's explore how this list could change in the next few years.
Which head coaches could be next in line to win an NBA Championship?
Looking at the landscape of the league, there could be several first-time champions in the coaching ranks in the not-so-distant future. Out in the Eastern Conference, Tom Thibodeau, with the moves the New York Knicks made this offseason, could be ready to make that championship jump in the next handful of years.
In the Western Conference Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, and Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd could all find themselves in a similar position soon.
These coaches are all candidates of individuals who many expect to be in the league for the foreseeable future. It would be quite the story for Thibs to finally get off the hump and get his first championship. Thibs is about to enter his 13th season as a head coach and began his assistant coaching career back in the 1989-90 season.
Either way, the odds are that a first-time champion from the head-coaching ranks is going to break through soon.