Former NBA players began working as coaches, and some won the ultimate trophy as players and coaches. Winning an NBA championship as a player is undoubtedly the highest honor as a player, but winning as a head coach many years later is a double reward.
Jason Kidd has just started his head coaching duties with the Dallas Mavericks, and he hopes to lead them to shine in the NBA playoffs. If he succeeds desperately with the Mavericks this season, he will join the exclusive roster of coaches who have won the championship as players. Excitingly, he has the opportunity to win the championship as a coach and player of the same team.
Changsi Billups is another former NBA player who could win championships as a player and coach in the 2021-22 season. Although the Portland Trail Blazers are not favourites in the West, a victory in the Finals will allow members of the 2004 Detroit Pistons championship team to win the championship as coaches during his rookie season.
On that note, here are the NBA coaches who win NBA championships as players.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="8" >12</h1>
Player - 1 time champion
Coach - 1 time champion
Larry Costello has been with the Philadelphia Team since being known as the Philadelphia Warriors. He was selected with the 12th pick in round 2 of the 1954 NBA Draft. After returning to the NBA in 1967, he won his first championship with the 76ers.
Four years later, he won his first overall title as coach in his third year with the Milwaukee Bucks. That was the Bucks' first and only championship until Giannis led them to another Finals victory in the 2021 playoffs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="15" >11</h1>
Member - 1 time champion
Billy Cunningham spent nine of his 11 years with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. In his second season, he made a significant contribution to the 76ers' championship race, earning his first and only ring as a player.
After retiring, Cunningham signed the next season to coach the 76ers, a position he held for eight years. In 1983, he coached the Lakers to win the championship again, and Moses Malone played a major role in the series sweeping the Lakers.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="22" >10</h1>
The 1986 NBA Finals were the second championship game in the 1980s without the Lakers. Rick Carlisle's career was rather short (five years), but he was part of the Celtics, who lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in '86. The team reached three NBA Finals under Carlisle, but lost two other Finals in 1985 and 1987.
As coach, Carlisle broke an incredible backlash to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a new Miami Heat team of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. After several failed attempts to lead the Mavericks to victory, he stepped down in June 2021 to take over as head coach for the Indiana Pacers.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="28" >9</h1>
Coach - 2 times champion
Red Holzman began his NBA career with rochester Royals in 1945, where he won the championship six years later. He played a key role in their 4-point win over the New York Knicks in their game 7.
Holzman coached the Knicks from the 1967 season and led them to two championships in 1970 and 1973. To date, it is the only championship in Knicks history.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="34" >8</h1>
Player - 2 times the champion
Tyrone Lu is the most recent former player to win a championship as head coach. In a game against the Lakers, he won two championships as a player. Despite his early years plagued by injuries and poor performances, he excelled in the 2021 NBA Finals and excelled in defending Alan Iverson.
Lou was responsible for beating the Warriors during their reign. In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers won the championship 3-1, winning the team's first and only championship to date. He nearly reached the Finals in the 2020-21 season after leading the Los Angeles Clippers to the divisional finals for the first time, but they were beaten by the Phoenix Suns in six games.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" >7</h1>
Player - 4 times champion
Bill Shaman spent his rookie season with the Washington Capitals, but he spent the remainder of his 11-year career as a Celtic. He teamed up with Bob Cousy to form what is considered the greatest backcourt duo and helped Team C win four NBA championships.
Shaman retired in 1961 and began coaching almost immediately, becoming head coach of the Cleveland Piper that same year. In 1972, he led the Lakers to a championship, his first and only championship as head coach. However, he also won five championships as an executive after serving as general manager for the Lakers and establishing a championship team in the 1980s.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="49" >6</h1>
Coach - 5 times champion
Pat Riley is one of the few coaches to win an NBA championship as a coach, not a player. He was a member of the 1971–72 Lakers, a team of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor, who won 69 games that season and led the Western Conference. They beat the Knicks after five games to win the NBA championship.
Riley began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Lakers and was soon promoted to the position of head coach. During his 9 years as head coach of the Purple and Gold, he reached the NBA Finals seven times and won four championships. His fifth title as coach came after leading the Miami Heat to their first-ever championship in 2006.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="56" >5</h1>
Player - 5 times champion
Coach - 3 times champion
Steve Kerr missed the Chicago Bulls' first triple-title, but had the second chance to come off the bench behind Ron Harper. Before joining the San Antonio Spurs, he won his first three championships with the Bulls, who won championships in 1999 and 2003.
Under Kerr's leadership, the Golden State Warriors dominated the Western Conference from 2015 to 2019. The Warriors reached the NBA Finals for five consecutive seasons, four of which were against Kings James and Cleveland Cavaliers, and the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Kerr beat the Cavaliers, winning three of the four games, bringing the Warriors' total championship total to six.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="63" >4</h1>
Player - 8 times champion
In terms of championships, KC Jones is one of the highly decorated NBA players, winning eight times in his nine-year career. He was part of the dominant Celtic era, winning almost once under Russell between 1959 and 1969.
After several years of alternate assistant and head coaching, he finally became the Celtics' head coach in 1983. During his first four years with Team C, he reached the NBA Finals four times and won two championships.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="70" >3</h1>
Tom Heinthorn is a Boston Celtics legend whose resume is impressive. He joined the Celtics in 1956 and won the championship in his rookie year, winning the Rookie of the Year award and being named an All-Star on the road to championship. It was the first of eight games in his nine-year career, losing to the St. Louis Hawks in the 1958 NBA Finals.
From 1969 to 1978, Heinthorn spent nine more seasons coaching the Boston Celtics. In 1973, Mr. Celtic won the NBA Coach of the Year and led them to two championships in 1974 and 1976.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="77" >2</h1>
Player - 11 times champion
Bill Russell holds the record for the most championships won by a player, helping the Boston Celtics win 11 of the 17 championships in team history. He is the embodiment of NBA success, winning 11 championships in his 13-year career.
From 1957 to 1969, he won 13 championships with the Celtics. His last two seasons were in the 1968 and 1969 seasons, when he was a player and coach for the Celtics. He led the team to one of the biggest underdogs in NBA history, beating the Los Angeles Lakers, an All-Star los Angeles Lakers made up of Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, and won the championship in 1969.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="84" >1</h1>
Coach - 11 times champion
Phil Jackson is arguably the best coach in NBA history, but he has also had success as a player. He was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1967 and helped them win two championships in 1970 and 1973. He missed the 1970 season with an injury but got a ring anyway because he was on the roster.
Jackson led the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s and has had even greater success as a coach. He had nearly the same level of success as Lakers head coach, winning five championships in ten seasons.