25 Hall Of Fame Players Who Became NBA Coaches

Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash has been named the next coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

The two-time MVP joins an exclusive list of Hall of Fame players who went on to become NBA coaches. There are only two who have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both an NBA player and an NBA coach — Lenny Wilkens and Tom Heinsohn.

From Bill Russell to Jerry West to Magic Johnson, here’s the complete list of legendary NBA players that picked up the clipboard.

* * *

NAME WINS LOSSES TITLES COACHING DEBUT INDUCTED
Lenny Wilkens 1332 1155 1 1969-70 1989, 1998
K.C. Jones 522 252 2 1973-74 1989
Tom Heinsohn 427 263 2 1969-70 1986, 2015
Bill Russell  341 290 2 1966-67 1975
Bill Sharman 333 240 1 1966-67 1976
Paul Westphal 318 279 0 1992-93 2019
Maurice Cheeks 305 315 0 2001-02 2018
Kevin McHale 232 185 0 2004-05 1999
Wes Unseld 202 345 0 1987-88 1988
Dick McGuire 197 261 0 1959-60 1993
Isiah Thomas 187 223 0 2000-01 2000
Jason Kidd 183 190 0 2013-14 2018
Dan Issel 180 208 0 1992-93 1993
Dave Cowens 161 191 0 1978-79 1991
Dolph Schayes 151 172 0 1963-64 1973
Larry Bird 147 67 0 1997-98 1998
Jerry West 145 101 0 1976-77 1980
Bob Cousy 141 207 0 1969-70 1971
Elgin Baylor 86 135 0 1974-75 1977
Willis Reed 82 124 0 1977-78 1982
Dave DeBusschere 79 143 0 1964-65 1983
Bob Lanier 12 25 0 1994-95 1992
Dennis Johnson 8 16 0 2002-03 2010
Magic Johnson 5 11 0 1993-94 2002
Bob Pettit 4 2 0 1961-62 1971

Next Article

Bucks’ Backs Against Wall Entering Game 3 vs. Heat