Ever since the 1962-63 season, the NBA has awarded the best coaches in the league with the Coach of the Year Award. But while the Coach of the Year Award is given to the best coaches, there’s no doubt that there have been notable coaches who have never won the award, despite their accomplishments in the NBA. Let’s take a look at the 10 best coaches to never win Coach of the Year.

10. Brad Stevens

After Brad Stevens took over the Boston Celtics, the team became a legitimate playoff contender. In fact, the magnitude became far greater when Stevens coached a 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas-led Celtics to the best record in the Eastern Conference in back-to-back seasons.

Stevens came close to the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2018, finishing third in the voting race behind Quin Snyder and Dwane Casey. The Celtics finished first in the East that year with a 55-27 record.

9. Quin Snyder

A fixture in the Coach of the Year race, Quin Snyder made waves as the coach of the Utah Jazz. He transformed a rebuilding Jazz squad into a legitimate playoff contender.

In the 2017-2018 season, Snyder coached the Jazz to a 48-34 record, which was good for fifth in the West. For his efforts, he finished as the runner-up for the Coach of the Year Award. Later on, he would lead the Jazz to a first-place finish in the Western Conference during the 2020-21 season.

8. Michael Malone

While Michael Malone failed to turn heads with the Sacramento Kings, he’s the perfect fit for the Denver Nuggets. Since taking over the Nuggets' coaching reins, the Nuggets have been a consistent playoff fixture.

In the 2022-23 season, Malone led the Nuggets to a top finish in the West with a 53-29 record. In the playoffs, he led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA title.

7. Erik Spoelstra

There’s no question that the NBA Coach of the Year Award has been elusive to Erik Spoelstra. Nevertheless, a lot of fans would agree that the Heat coach deserves to win it.

Spoelstra guided the Heat to four-consecutive Finals appearances and won two-straight NBA titles in the process. Moreover, despite the breakup of the Big Three, Spoelstra led the Heat to two more Finals appearances in a four-year stretch. Just recently, the Heat reaffirmed their fate in Spoelstra by signing him to a lucrative eight-year deal worth $120 million.

6. Rudy Tomjanovich

Considered to be the greatest coach in the Houston Rockets history, Rudy Tomjanovich led the team to 503 wins. But more importantly, Tomjanovich guided the Rockets to a No. 1 seed finish in the West with a 58-24 record during the 1993-94 season.

The former Rockets head coach led the team to back-to-back NBA titles. These remain to be the only championships won by the franchise.

5. K.C. Jones

A seasoned coach that posted a 552-306 overall record, it was a head scratcher that K.C. Jones never won the Coach of the Year Award. In fact, the Celtics ruled the East after winning at least 60 games in five seasons.

But more importantly, he coached the Larry Bird-led squad to five NBA Finals appearances, which resulted in two NBA championships.

4. Billy Cunningham

From winning championships with the Sixers as a player, Billy Cunningham continued to be great for Philly as the head coach. With Cunningham manning the sidelines, the Sixers became a playoff fixture for eight-consecutive years.

In the process, Cunningham also guided Philly to three Finals appearances before winning it all in 1983. the Sixers also finished with a 65-17 record in 1983.

3. Jerry Sloan

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It’s hard to leave out Jerry Sloan when looking at some of the best years of the Utah Jazz. He was the main tactician that guided the Karl Malone and John Stockton duo to back-to-back Finals appearances while ruling the West in the regular season.

In addition to this, Sloan later returned to the Jazz organization to guide a competitive Jazz core made up of Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, and Deron Williams. The former Jazz coach would also whip this Jazz team into a playoff mainstay.

2. Chuck Daly

There’s no question that Chuck Daly was one of the best tacticians to ever coach in the NBA. Daly guided the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons to three NBA Finals appearances while winning two championships. Moreover, the Pistons were ultimately dominant in the regular season, capped off by a 63-win season in the 1988-89 season.

Although the Coach of the Year Award remained elusive to Daly’s coaching career, the league still acknowledged his greatness by naming him to the Ten Greatest Coaches of All Time honor during the NBA’s 50-year anniversary.

1. John Kundla

The architect behind the NBA’s first-ever dynasty, there’s no doubt that John Kundla ultimately deserved to win the prestigious Coach of the Year Award. However, during his era, the award had yet to be given out by the league.

Kundla lead the Minneapolis Lakers to five NBA championships, including the league’s first ever three-peat. While he was never Coach of the Year, his efforts weren’t forgotten after Kundla was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.