1) Mike Brown, Kings, ’22-’23

First awarded to Harry Gallatin following the ’62-’63 season, NBA Coach of the Year has maintained a nebulous definition up to today. In recent years, it’s been traditionally handed out to coaches of whatever team had the biggest improvement in a given season, as was the case in ’22-’23 with Brown and the Kings. In his first year as Sacramento coach, not only did Brown lead a 17-win turnaround from the prior season, he also broke the longest playoff drought in NBA history, which dated back to 2006. Unfortunately for Brown, on the day that his unanimous victory was announced, the Kings were beginning an especially difficult first round matchup against the defending champion Warriors. Sacramento hung tough but were eliminated in seven games. Just 18 months later, Brown was fired as head coach and the Kings’ playoff series win drought is now at 22 seasons and counting.

2) Lenny Wilkens, Hawks, ’93-’94

He was less than a year away from breaking Red Auerbach’s all-time coaching wins record but ’93-’94 was somehow the first and only time that the legendary Wilkens ever earned Coach of the Year. In fact, Wilkens had finished as high as second in voting just one time prior, in ’77-’78 when he led the SuperSonics to their first ever NBA Finals. In his first year at the helm in Atlanta after seven seasons in Cleveland, Wilkens’ Hawks improved by 14 wins and earned the #1 seed in an Eastern Conference seemingly wide open in the wake of Michael Jordan’s first retirement. That proved a little true for the Hawks, who just barely survived an upset bid from the Heat in the first round before getting summarily eliminated by the Pacers in the Conference Semifinals. The Hawks ultimately reached the playoffs in all seven years that Wilkens was their coach, but never advanced past the second round.

3) Rick Carlisle, Pistons, ’01-’02

He’s since led the Mavericks to a surprise championship in 2011 and the Pacers to a stunning NBA Finals run in 2025, but Carlisle’s one postseason as reigning Coach of the Year ended disastrously. The ’01-’02 season was Carlisle’s first as an NBA head coach and he became just the seventh head coach ever to win the award in their debut campaign. He took over a veteran Pistons team ready to contend again after a decade of mediocrity and they thrived under Carlisle’s selfless, efficient approach, winning 50 games and entering the playoffs as a #2 seed. But after surviving a major first round upset bid from the Raptors, the Pistons were overwhelmed by the Celtics in five games in the Conference Semifinals. They won 50 games again in ’02-’03 and advanced to the Conference Finals but Carlisle was still fired that offseason and replaced by Larry Brown.

4) Frank Layden, Jazz, ’83-’84

Leading a Jazz team to the playoffs was no small feat in 1984 and Layden was appropriately awarded for it. Not only was this Utah’s first playoff appearance in 10 years as a franchise, it was their first time ever even above .500, finishing at 45-37. Layden earned not just Coach of the Year for the feat but Executive of the Year as well for his general manager role, which included crucial acquisitions of Adrian Dantley, Rickey Green, Mark Eaton, and Darrell Griffith. On the day that he accepted his award, Layden’s Jazz were in a rut, having lost three consecutive Conference Semifinal games against the Suns, falling behind 3-1 in the series. They bounced back that night with a 118-106 game five victory but were subsequently eliminated in game six. Layden failed to ever lead the Jazz past the second round in six seasons as coach but he did lay the groundwork for future success in his GM role, drafting John Stockton and Karl Malone.

5) Dwane Casey, Raptors, ’17-’18

As far as we can tell, Casey is the only NBA Coach of the Year to be fired before he even accepted the award. Sure, over seven years in charge he led the Raptors to their first 50-win season, their first Conference Finals appearance, and their first #1 postseason seed, but what had he done for them lately? Not enough to overcome a 2018 Conference Semifinals sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers, leading Raptors management to fire Casey just days after the elimination. By the time he accepted his trophy a month later at the annual NBA awards ceremony, Casey had already been hired by the Pistons, a job he would eventually hold for five seasons. In fairness to Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, Casey’s replacement Nick Nurse proved to be just the right coach to lead the team to its first ever title in 2019.

6) Ray Scott, Pistons, ’73-’74

If the Coach of the Year trophy is truly cursed, then it stems back to Scott. At 34 years old and after 14 pro seasons, Scott retired as a player and became an assistant coach under his friend mentor Earl Lloyd on the Pistons. Just seven games into this gig, Scott was thrust into the head position after Lloyd was dismissed. Eyes rolled in Detroit initially over this inexperienced youngster becoming the franchise’s ninth head coach in a 10-year span but Scott proved his worth quickly. In Scott’s first full season in charge, ’73-’74, the Pistons won a franchise record 50 games and broke a five year playoff drought. When Scott accepted his Coach of the Year trophy in early April, the Pistons were locked in a postseason dog fight with the Bulls, a first round series that they ultimately lost in seven games. When Detroit fell back below .500 in ’74-’75, Scott was fired and replaced by Hubie Brown. It turned out to be the only NBA coaching job for Scott, who transitioned into a career in the insurance business.

7) Hubie Brown, Hawks, ’77-’78
8) Hubie Brown, Grizzlies, ’03-’04

Speaking of Hubie Brown, the legendary coach and broadcaster won NBA Coach of the Year twice, a record 26 years apart. The initial honor came in Brown’s second season as an NBA coach, when he led the Hawks to their first playoff appearance in five years. A first round sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Bullets seemed like a mere speed bump for the youthful Hawks roster but unfortunately their dynamic young stars Eddie Johnson and John Drew proved inconsistent and unreliable and Brown was fired in 1981. He spent most of the next two decades as a television broadcaster, save for a brief stint coaching the Knicks, then accepted a job with the Grizzlies at age 69. In a parallel to his initial Hawks gig, Brown took over a talented but inexperienced Grizzlies team and transformed them immediately, breaking a lengthy postseason drought. By the time Brown accepted his Coach of the Year award for ’03-’04, the Grizzlies were already in a 2-0 first round series hole against the Spurs and ultimately were swept by the defending champs. Brown stepped down soon after due to health issues and it took until 2011 for the Grizzlies franchise to finally win a playoff game, let alone a series.

9) Mike Schuler, Trail Blazers, ’86-’87

Schuler’s position as Trail Blazers coach started shakily, literally, as the former Nets and Bucks assistant fell out of his podium chair during the Portland press conference announcing his hiring. An omen for his Blazers stint? Depends on whom you ask. The Blazers finished a surprise 49-33 in Schuler’s debut season and he became just the second rookie coach ever to earn Coach of the Year honors. But the postseason was a different story, with the favored Blazers getting steamrolled in a first round series by the Rockets. Portland improved even further in ’87-’88, winning 53 games, but another first round exit was enough for management to fire Schuler and promote his top assistant, Rick Adelman.

10) Don Nelson, Warriors, ’91-’92

Always an innovator, Nelson perfected the oversized, play making “point forward” position in the ’80s while coaching the Bucks only to switch gears entirely with the Warriors in the ’90s, deploying an undersized, up-tempo “Run-TMC” approach. The regular season results speak for themselves, with Nelson leading the Bucks to seven 50+ win seasons, the Warriors to two, and earning Coach of the Year three times (something only Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich have matched). But the postseason was a different story for Nelson, who suffered three Conference Finals losses with the Bucks and then couldn’t carry Golden State past the second round. ’91-’92 was especially disappointing, with Nelson earning COY after the Warriors defied expectations, earning the West’s #3 seed despite losing Mitch Richmond in the prior offseason. But Golden State’s lack of size and toughness were on full display in a dominating first round upset at the hands of Shawn Kemp and the SuperSonics.

11) Scott Brooks, Thunder, ’09-’10

Inclusion on this list is no indictment of Brooks’ success in ’09-’10, as just getting the Thunder to the playoffs was an incredible turnaround. When Brooks was promoted mid-season from assistant to head coach in ’08-’09, the Thunder had a 1-12 record and were five years removed from finishing a season with a winning record. It’s debatable how much of their ’09-’10 improvement was due to Brooks and how much was inevitable due to the progression of young stars Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, who won his first scoring title. Coach of the Year voters had no such qualms, giving Brooks the award as Oklahoma City improved from 23 wins to 50 and reached the playoffs as a #8 seed. They put up a surprisingly strong fight in their first round series against the defending champion Lakers but ultimately were eliminated in six games.

12) Cotton Fitzsimmons, Kings, ’78-’79

Hired eight times as a head coach by five different NBA franchises, Fitzsimmons had a debut losing season just once, with the Buffalo Braves in ’77-’78. The Braves then packed up and headed to San Diego to become the Clippers so Fitzsimmons moved on to the hapless Kansas City Kings. Sure enough, the Kings improved by 17 wins in ’78-’79 under Fitzsimmons and he was awarded for that effort with Coach of the Year honors (his Clippers replacement, Gene Shue, was second in voting). But one thing Fitzsimmons couldn’t pull off immediately was ending the Kings’ 15-year drought without a playoff series win. Though they were the higher seed in the Conference Semifinals, the Kings were no match for the Suns, losing the series 4-1. Fitzsimmons did eventually lead Kansas City to postseason success in 1981, when the team made a surprise run to the Conference Finals.

13) Don Chaney, Rockets, ’90-’91

Following two straight seasons with disappointing first round playoff losses, Chaney entered ’90-’91 on the hot seat in Houston. The team was barely hovering above .500 in early January when things got even more dire, as Hakeem Olajuwon suffered a bone fracture in his eye, leaving him unavailable for two months. But the young Rockets unexpectedly thrived for the remainder of the season, finishing 14-11 in the games Olajuwon missed and then embarking on a 15-game winning streak soon after his return. Though they subsequently lost in the first round again, this time in a sweep against the Lakers, Chaney was given a contract extension to go with his Coach of the Year award. But this didn’t last long, with the Rockets firing Chaney late in the ’91-’92 season and replacing him with Rudy Tomjanovich.

14) Tom Thibodeau, Knicks, ’20-’21

A defensive specialist with a reputation for intensity and grinding down players, Thibodeau’s quick successes have always been paired with swift downfalls and contentious exits. He first earned Coach of the Year in ’10-’11 with the Bulls, then led the Timberwolves to their first playoff appearance in 14 years in 2018. When the Knicks hired Thibodeau in 2020, the once vaunted franchise was seven years removed from its last playoff appearance and 20 years past its last Conference Finals. The playoff drought ended in Thibodeau’s first season but it was fleeting, with the Knicks putting up only a nominal fight in a first round loss to the Hawks. His Coach of the Year win that season was one of the closest votes in the award’s history, just beating out Phoenix’s Monty Williams, who subsequently led the Suns to the NBA Finals. New York continued to improve over the next few years under Thibodeau, with back-to-back 50-win seasons and a Conference Finals appearance, but with expectations sky high and players beginning to gripe, he was fired again in 2025.

15) Pat Riley, Lakers, ’89-’90

Riley’s first eight seasons as Lakers head coach included four 60-win seasons, seven NBA Finals appearances, four titles, and zero Coach of the Year awards. In a cruel twist of fate, when Riley finally did receive his first COY trophy in May of 1990, the Lakers were on the verge of their worst postseason of his entire tenure. Voters were apparently impressed by Riley’s Lakers continuing their dominant ways without the recently retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, finishing the ’89-’90 season with 63 wins and the top seed in the Western Conference. Their postseason foil was a young, talented Suns team who ran the suddenly old-looking Lakers off the floor in five games in the Conference Semifinals. Riley was forced to wistfully accept his award the day before the Suns put that series away, then resigned just a couple weeks later with his trophy parting gift. He eventually became the first coach to earn Coach of the Year with three different franchises, winning it again with the Knicks in 1993 and Heat in 1997.

16) Sam Mitchell, Raptors, ’06-’07

The Raptors were in a transitionary period when they hired Mitchell in 2004, with Chris Bosh in his second season and Vince Carter openly lobbying for a trade. The measly return on the trade of Carter was the first of several questionable roster moves by general manager Rob Babcock that Mitchell had to endure. In the first season after Babcock was mercifully fired, Mitchell led an incredible turnaround for Toronto, improving from 27 wins in ’05-’06 to 47 in ’06-’07 and the East’s #3 seed. This ironically set them up against Carter and his new Nets team in a first round series and the former Raptors star was relentless, averaging 25.0 points per game in a six game series win for New Jersey. Mitchell was further awarded with a contract extension that summer but it didn’t last long, as he was fired 17 games into the ’08-’09 season.

17) George Karl, Nuggets, ’12-’13

Is Karl the most universally despised member of the Naismith Hall of Fame? Unless they eventually induct Bill Laimbeer, it’s likely so. There’s been a fair amount of coaches in NBA history with a pattern of instantly boosted success, followed swiftly by a querulous downfall. But nobody has ever done it like Karl, who coached six different NBA teams and left all of them with a trail of disgruntled players and coaches in his wake. His lengthiest and most successful stint came with the Nuggets, eight seasons of relatively peaceful prosperity that nonetheless still ended in controversy and animosity. In ’12-’13, Karl led a seemingly underhanded Nuggets team to the best regular season in franchise history with a 57-25 record, while earning his 1,000th career win. But Denver was eliminated from the playoffs weeks before Karl could even accept his Coach of the Year trophy, going down in a first round upset against the Warriors. It marked a fourth consecutive first round loss for the Nuggets and Karl did not take it well, openly accusing his biggest star Andre Iguodala of leaking plays to the opponent (Iguodala certainly didn’t help his defense case by signing with the Warriors that summer) while simultaneously lobbying the team’s front office to extend his contract. They pulled a full 180 instead, firing Karl and replacing him with Brian Shaw. Karl joins Dwane Casey as the only Coach of the Year winners to be immediately fired.

18) Jack McKinney, Pacers, ’80-’81

It made for a terrific feel good story, a coach making his unlikely comeback and leading a ragtag team to new levels of success. But the ending wasn’t happy, nor was it particularly dramatic. With a 44-38 record, the Pacers reached the NBA playoffs for the first time in 1981 only to become a footnote in the 76ers’ dynasty. Just getting that far was certainly a commendable effort, especially for McKinney, who had suffered a life threatening head injury just one year prior. Hired by Jerry Buss in 1979 to coach the Lakers, McKinney lasted just 13 games before a fluke bike accident caused his indefinite hospitalization, and he could only watch as his top assistant Paul Westhead transitioned from interim coach to permanent one. McKinney must have felt some semblance of revenge in ’80-’81, as he made his successful return to coaching with the Pacers while Westhead’s Lakers imploded theatrically. But his Indiana team was punching above its weight, made obvious by their heavily one-sided sweep at the hands of the 76ers in the postseason first round. McKinney could not keep the magic going, finishing below .500 and out of the playoffs the next three seasons, ultimately getting fired.

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