As part of the “NBA at 50” celebration during the 1996-97 season, voters were asked to select the top 10 coaches in NBA history, without ranking them. Ten men who collectively have amassed more than 7,500 regular season wins and 33 NBA championships comprise the list of the Top Ten Coaches in NBA History, as selected by balloting among media members who regularly cover the NBA.
The names on the list read like a who’s who of NBA history: Red Auerbach, Chuck Daly, Bill Fitch, Red Holzman, Phil Jackson, John Kundla, Don Nelson, Jack Ramsey, Pat Riley and Lenny Wilkens. Each coach contributed significantly to both the preservation and evolution of the NBA game in different ways in each of their eras.
What nearly all of them had in common? Championships. All but one coach — Nelson — won an NBA title and six of them (Auerbach, Daly, Holzman, Jackson, Kundla and Riley) won at least two titles as well.
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