With six championships in franchise history and a total of 35 playoff appearances, the Golden State Warriors have had the luxury of having Hall of Fame players suit up for the organization.
However, the Warriors have also had some elite coaches leading the team. After all, it takes a great leader of men to guide a group to an NBA title.
For this piece, we ranked the four best Warriors coaches of all-time, starting off with a guy who should get more credit for helping the Dubs become a dynasty from 2014-2018.
4. Mark Jackson
The Warriors had one playoff appearance in 17 seasons before hiring Jackson in 2012. The former NBA point guard helped the Dubs become a perennial playoff team.
Jackson went 121-109 with the Warriors during the regular season, which was good for a winning percentage of 52.6 percent. The Dubs also went 9-10 in the postseason from 2011-14 under Jackson, who was eventually fired for not having the best relationship with management.
However, the Warriors don't win that 2015 title over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first ring in the Stephen Curry era without Jackson, who developed Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green the proper way and gave them the confidence to play their game at the highest level.
Jackson has the fifth-most wins as a coach in Warriors franchise history.
3. Don Nelson
The Warriors went 422-433 in the regular season during Nelson’s two tenures with the franchise. He never guided the team to a championship but Nelson made Golden State relevant again.
Nelson led the “Run TMC” team and also coached the “We Believe” squad which upset the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. His 442 wins are second in franchise history.
The Warriors missed the playoffs for 11 straight seasons after firing Nelson the first time, so bringing him back in 2006 just made all the sense in the world. That 2007 first-round series win over the Mavs will be talked about forever in the Bay Area.
2. Al Attles
Attles began his Warriors tenure as a player in 1960 before transitioning to a player/coach role in 1970. Not only is he the longest-tenured coach in franchise history, but Attles led the Warriors to their first championship after their move to the Bay Area.
Al racked up 557 wins with the Warriors. He has the most wins in franchise history. The Warriors went 557-518 in the regular season during the Attles era, with a playoff record of 31-30.
Attles was one of the first African-American coaches in NBA history. He will be a Warriors legend forever.
1. Steve Kerr
Kerr replaced Jackson before the 2014-15 season and the rest is history. Golden has won three titles under Kerr, including back-to-back rings in 2017 and 2018.
The Warriors have an incredible record of 337-138 in the regular season under Kerr. The Dubs have gone 77-28 in the postseason. Kerr is the Warriors' all-time leader in playoff wins.
Sure, Kerr has had superstars in Golden State to coach. However, it was his offensive system and ability to connect with players, both on and off the court, which made the Warriors an offensive juggernaut.
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to COVID-19, Kerr and the Warriors had the worst record in the NBA. The Dubs were on their way to missing the playoffs for the first time in the Kerr era.
Curry only played in five games in 2019-20 because of a broken left hand while Thompson has been on the shelf all season, rehabbing his ACL tear.
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