list of nba coach of the year award winners | coach of oklahoma city thunder

The NBA Coach of the Year Award is an annual honor given to the head coach deemed to have made the most significant positive impact on his team during the regular season. It's not necessarily about winning the most games, although a strong record is almost always a prerequisite. Instead, the award often recognizes coaches who have orchestrated significant turnarounds, developed young talent, implemented innovative strategies, or overcome adversity to lead their teams to unexpected success. Since its inception in 1963, the award has recognized a diverse group of coaching minds, each leaving their unique mark on the league.

This article delves deep into the history of the NBA Coach of the Year Award, providing a comprehensive list of winners, exploring their backgrounds, the teams they coached, their winning percentages, and other relevant details. We'll also touch upon related topics like coaches with the most wins, all-time winningest coaches, the specifics of the Coach of the Year certificate, and profiles of notable coaches like Monty Williams and Mike Brown. Data primarily sourced from Sportskeeda.

Complete List of NBA Coach of the Year Award Winners by Year

The following table presents a complete list of NBA Coach of the Year Award winners, organized chronologically. It includes the year the award was presented (corresponding to the season), the coach's name, their nationality, the team they coached, and the team's regular-season record that year. This information provides a quick snapshot of the coach's accomplishment and the context in which it was achieved.

| Year | Coach | Nationality | Team | Record |

|------|---------------------|-------------|----------------------------|---------|

| 1963 | Harry Gallatin | American | St. Louis Hawks | 48-32 |

| 1964 | Red Auerbach | American | Boston Celtics | 59-21 |

| 1965 | Red Auerbach | American | Boston Celtics | 62-18 |

| 1966 | Dolph Schayes | American | Philadelphia 76ers | 55-25 |list of nba coach of the year award winners

| 1967 | Johnny Kerr | American | Chicago Bulls | 33-48 |

| 1968 | Bill van Breda Kolff| American | Los Angeles Lakers | 52-30 |

| 1969 | Gene Shue | American | Baltimore Bullets | 57-25 |

| 1970 | Red Holzman | American | New York Knicks | 60-22 |

| 1971 | Dick Motta | American | Chicago Bulls | 51-31 |

| 1972 | Bill Sharman | American | Los Angeles Lakers | 69-13 |

| 1973 | Tom Heinsohn | American | Boston Celtics | 68-14 |

| 1974 | Ray Scott | American | Detroit Pistons | 52-30 |

| 1975 | Phil Jackson | American | Washington Bullets | 60-22 |

| 1976 | Bill Fitch | American | Cleveland Cavaliers | 49-33 |

| 1977 | Tom Nissalke | American | Houston Rockets | 49-33 |

| 1978 | Hubie Brown | American | Atlanta Hawks | 41-41 |

| 1979 | Cotton Fitzsimmons | American | Kansas City Kings | 48-34 |

| 1980 | Bill Fitch | American | Boston Celtics | 61-21 |

| 1981 | Jack McKinney | American | Indiana Pacers | 44-38 |

| 1982 | Gene Shue | American | Washington Bullets | 43-39 |

| 1983 | Doug Collins | American | Philadelphia 76ers | 65-17 |

| 1984 | Frank Layden | American | Utah Jazz | 45-37 |

| 1985 | Don Nelson | American | Milwaukee Bucks | 59-23 |

| 1986 | Mike Fratello | American | Atlanta Hawks | 50-32 |

| 1987 | Mike Schuler | American | Portland Trail Blazers | 49-33 |

| 1988 | Doug Moe | American | Denver Nuggets | 54-28 |

| 1989 | Cotton Fitzsimmons | American | Phoenix Suns | 55-27 |

| 1990 | Pat Riley | American | Los Angeles Lakers | 63-19 |