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NBA coaches play an instrumental role from the sidelines. They set the culture of the team while also coming up with the squad's game plan. Lately, more and more players continue to contribute to the game as an NBA head coach.
These days, teams have hired former players such as Tyronn Lue, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, and JJ Redick, who's the most recent former player to become an NBA head coach. Here's the 10 best former players turned NBA coaches, ranked.
10. Bill Russell
Bill Russell is mostly remembered for being the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty from the '50s to the late '60s. During the latter part of his Celtics days, Russell actually became a player-coach. As a coach for the Celtics, Russell won back-to-back NBA championships. In total, Russell won 13 NBA championships in his career.
9. Larry Bird
Like Russell, Larry Bird also has plenty of history with the Celtics. He lead the Celtics to several Finals appearances, resulting in three NBA championships and a pair of Finals MVPs. But after hanging up his sneakers, Bird tried his hand as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
In the 1997-1998 season, Bird led the Pacers to a 58-24 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals where they took the Chicago Bulls to seven games. For his efforts, Bird won NBA Coach of the Year. During the same year, he was also named an All-Star Game head coach.
8. Tommy Heinsohn
Like the coaches previously mentioned, Tommy Heinsohn was also part of a Celtics dynasty, having won eight NBA championships in his career. After spending 10 seasons as a player, Heinsohn was tapped as the head coach of the Celtics.
With Heinsohn taking on the coaching reins, he won NBA Coach of the Year in 1973 before extending the Celtics dynasty by winning two more NBA titles as a coach.
7. Don Nelson
Don Nelson was also part of the Celtics squad that collected several NBA titles in the 60s. In fact, Nelson won five NBA championships as a player, all in a Celtics uniform.
After retiring as a player, Nelson understood the game well enough to coach in the NBA. The five-time NBA champion won three NBA Coach of the Year Awards with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors. He is also second all time in the NBA in coaching wins.
6. Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers had four stopovers in the NBA as a player, having suited up for the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and the San Antonio Spurs. His best year came in 1988 when he was named an All-Star.
But after hanging up his sneakers, Rivers tried his hand in coaching. He led the Orlando Magic to a 41-41 record in the 1999-2000 season to be named as NBA Coach of the Year. Eight years later, he led the Celtics to the franchise's 17th NBA title. He currently is the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.
5. Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Lue is remembered by NBA fans as the player who received Allen Iverson's disrespectful stepover in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Lue did win two NBA championships with the Purple and Gold during its three-peat run.
After ending his playing career, Lue got his first head-coaching opportunity after the Cleveland Cavaliers fired David Blatt midway through the 2015-2016 season. As the coach, Lue stirred the Cavs to the franchise's first NBA championship by coming back from a 3-1 Finals series hole against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. He currently coaches the Los Angeles Clippers.
4. Lenny Wilkens
As a player, Lenny Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star and even led the NBA in assists at one point in his career. After concluding his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Wilkens tried his hand as a coach.
In 1979, he led the Seattle Supersonics to the franchise's first and only NBA championship. Fifteen years later, Wilkens won his first and only NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Atlanta Hawks. He is third all time in coaching victories, just three wins behind Nelson.
3. Pat Riley
While Pat Riley is more popular as an executive these days for the Miami Heat, he had plenty of success both as a player and a coach. As a player, he won an NBA championship with the Showtime Lakers in 1972. Riley found more success as a coach, winning five NBA championships with the Lakers and Heat and three Coach of the Year Awards and is fifth all time in wins.
2. Steve Kerr
Speaking of success both as a player and a coach, Steve Kerr was a fixture on several championship teams, whether as a player or as a coach. As a player, he shot his way to five NBA championships with two different franchises in the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
As a coach, Kerr is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and continued his winning ways by leading the Warriors dynasty to four NBA championships in six Finals appearances.
1. Phil Jackson
As a player, Phil Jackson's greatest achievement saw him win two NBA championships with the New York Knicks. While he wasn't really remembered as a player, Jackson had a dominant run as head coach.
He was the man of the sidelines when the Chicago Bulls won two sets of three-peats before also leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a three-peat of their own. Furthermore, he won two more NBA championships as a coach with the Lakers during Kobe Bryant's era. Jackson is also an NBA Coach of the Year winner.
