List of New York Knicks head coaches

The New York Knickerbockers are an American professional basketball team based in New York City. They are a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They play their home games at Madison Square Garden. The franchise's official name "Knickerbockers" came from the style of pants Dutch settlers wore when they moved to America.[1] Having joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the predecessor of the NBA, in 1946, the Knicks remain as one of the oldest teams in the NBA.[2] During Red Holzman's tenure, the franchise won its only two NBA championships, the 1970 NBA Finals and the 1973 NBA Finals.

There have been 26 head coaches for the New York Knicks franchise. Holzman was the franchise's first Coach of the Year winner and is the team's all-time leader in regular season games coached, regular season games won, playoff games coached, and playoff games won.[3] Holzman was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 as a coach.[3] Besides Holzman, Rick Pitino, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, and Larry Brown have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches. Four coaches have been named to the list of the top 10 coaches in NBA history.[4] Neil Cohalan, Joe Lapchick, Vince Boryla, Carl Braun, Eddie Donovan and Herb Williams have spent their entire coaching careers with the Knicks.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Boryla, Braun, Harry Gallatin, Dick McGuire, Willis Reed and Williams formerly played for the Knicks.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

Key

GCGames coached
WWins
LLosses
Win%Winning percentage
#Number of coaches[a]
*Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Knicks
Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach

Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.

#NameTerm[b]GCWLWin%GCWLWin%AchievementsReference
Regular seasonPlayoffs
1Neil Cohalan*1946–1947603327.550523.400[5]
2Joe Lapchick*19471956573326247.569603030.500[6]
3Vince Boryla*195619581658085.485[7]
4Andrew Levane19581959994851.485202.000[17]
5Carl Braun*19591961 (as player-coach)1274087.315[8]
6Eddie Donovan*1961196527884194.302[9]
7Harry Gallatin1965632538.397[18]
8Dick McGuire1965196717775102.424413.250[19]
9Red Holzman19671977783466317.595955441.5681969–70 NBA Coach of the Year
2 championships (1970, 1973)
One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[4]
[3]
10Willis Reed19771978964947.510624.333[20]
Red Holzman19781982314147167.468202.000One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[4][3]
11Hubie Brown19821986344142202.41318810.444[21]
12Bob Hill1986–1987662046.303[22]
13Rick Pitino198719891649074.5491367.462[23]
14Stu Jackson19891990975245.5361046.400[24]
15John MacLeod1990–1991673235.478303.000[25]
16Pat Riley19911995328223105.680633528.5561992–93 NBA Coach of the Year
One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[4]
[26]
17Don Nelson1995–1996593425.576One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[4][27]
18Jeff Van Gundy19962001420248172.590693732.536[28]
19Don Chaney2001200418472112.391[29]
20Herb Williams*20041101.000[10]
21Lenny Wilkens20042005814041.494404.000One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[4][30]
Herb Williams*2005431627.372[10]
22Larry Brown2005–2006822359.280[31]
23Isiah Thomas2006200816456108.341[32]
24Mike D'Antoni20082012288121167.420404.000[33]
25Mike Woodson2012201418810979.58017710.412[34]
26Derek Fisher*201420161364096.294[35]
27Kurt Rambis201628919.321[36]
28Jeff Hornacek2016201816460104.366[37]
29David Fizdale201820191042183.202[38]
30Mike Miller*2019–2020441727.386[39]
31Tom Thibodeau2020–present318175143.5501679.4382020–21 NBA Coach of the Year[40]

Notes

  • a A running total of the number of coaches of the Knicks. Thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is only counted once.
  • b Each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.

References

General
  • "New York Knicks Coach Register". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
Specific