Legendary coach of the ’80s Lakers, ’90s Knicks, and ’00s Heat, he defined ‘”Showtime” cool with his slick-backed hair, Armani suits, and incredible success, winning four championships

FEATURED LISTS
Those who can’t do, teach: Nine non-star players who became legendary coaches
We previously listed great players who were less than stellar as coaches. This is a compilation of players whose careers ranged from average to slightly above average, but went on to become legendary coaches.
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Cold comfort: 18 NBA Coach of the Year winners whose team made an early playoff exit
Being named Coach of the Year is one of the premier honors for NBA coaches but doesn’t mean much if it coincides with playoff disappointment
Foundational pieces: 30 notable NBA expansion draft picks
Utilized to seed the roster of new franchises, expansion drafts have been staged 11 times in NBA history, starting with the Chicago Packers in 1961 and most recently with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. These are the most notable selections in expansion draft history, from flops to revivals to impending franchise cornerstones.
Don’t you forget about me: 80 basketball moments from the ’80s that changed the sport forever
As part of our Totally ’80s series, we explore the 80 most monumental, controversial, influential, unforgettable, and indescribable basketball moments from the 1980s.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss: 22 NBA coaches who had multiple stints with the same franchise
Following their firing, re-signing, retiring, or demotion, these 22 coaches came back to the same NBA franchise a second time, often inexplicably and usually with diminishing returns.
Those who can’t do, teach: Nine non-star players who became legendary coaches
We previously listed great players who were less than stellar as coaches. This is a compilation of players whose careers ranged from average to slightly above average, but went on to become legendary coaches.
Basket-brawl: 26 memorable on-court fights in NBA games
For better or worse, we don’t really see big fights on the court anymore in the NBA. But in the past, they’ve been just as threaded into the fabric of the sport as anything that gets logged into the box score. Today, we take a look at the 26 most memorable examples of on-court melees, presented below in chronological order.
Penalty box-and-one: Five NBA playoff series that were swung by player suspensions
With the stakes at their highest and teams usually evenly matched or close to it, playoff series can often swing on a single player’s availability. Here are five notable cases where a star player missed a critical postseason game due to suspension.
We’re not gonna take it: Eight NBA teams that openly rebelled against their head coach
When management didn’t move fast enough, these teams took matters into their own hands, undermining their coach and questioning his authority until there was no choice left but to fire him.
Limping to immortality: 10 NBA championship teams that struggled in the regular season
Not every moment of a championship season is necessarily a great one, and these blue-ribbon teams entered the playoffs looking less than stellar.