NBA Coaches With the Most Championship Titles

These six NBA coaches have at least four championship rings (and counting).

We all know that great NBA players help create basketball dynasties, but they typically don’t reach their full potential without a great coach leading the way. These player-coach partnerships are the stuff of legends. Think Steph Curry and Steve Kerr. Pat Riley and Magic Johnson. And, of course, Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan.

But which NBA coaches led their teams to the most championship titles? These six have at least four championship rings (and counting).

6. Steve Kerr

Jeff Chiu / AP Photo

No. of wins: 4

Team(s) won with (years): Golden State Warriors (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)

Coaching career: 2014–present

Bottom line: Steve Kerr is still in the prime of his coaching career as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. It doesn’t hurt that he’s coached players Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant — some of the sport’s best players ever — to help seal the team’s dynasty status.

Kerr has also coached for the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team. Plus, he’s the first NBA head coach to lead his team to at least 67 wins in three consecutive seasons.

3. John Kundla (Tie)

AP Photo

No. of wins: 5

Team(s) won with (years): Minneapolis Lakers (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)

Coaching career: 1948-1959

Bottom line: John Kundla won a lot in his rather short NBA coaching career. When he came on board as the first coach of the Minneapolis Lakers, the team was immediately successful, with Hall of Fame center George Mikan and star Jim Pollard as its top players.

Kundla left the NBA to coach at the University of Minnesota for 10 seasons and has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

3. Pat Riley (Tie)

Lennox Mclendon / AP Photo

No. of wins: 5

Team(s) won with (years): Los Angeles Lakers (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) Miami Heat (2006)

Coaching career: 1981–1990, 1991–2003, 2005–2008

Bottom line: Nicknamed “The Godfather,” Pat Riley has made a name for himself as an NBA player, coach and executive, having appeared in a whopping 25 percent of all NBA Finals in history over the course of his three career phases.

As coach, he won four times with the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s Showtime era when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were leading the pack.

3. Gregg Popovich (Tie)

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

No. of wins: 5

Team(s) won with (years): San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)

Coaching career: 1996–present

Bottom line: “Coach Pop” is not only the longest-tenured active coach in the NBA but also any other major American sports league. As such, it’s not surprising that he’s earned the most wins of any coach in NBA history.

And he’s done it all with the San Antonio Spurs, winning various championships throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Like Steve Kerr, he’s also served on the coaching staff of the U.S. men’s national basketball team and led the team to a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

2. Red Auerbach

AP Photo

No. of wins: 9

Team(s) won with (years): Boston Celtics (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)

Coaching career: 1946–1966

Bottom line: While Red Auerbach was also the head coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri-Cities Blackhawks, his most notable time as head coach was with the Boston Celtics. He’s known for mentoring basketball stars Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and K.C. Jones.

While his winning record is obviously impressive, he’s also known for his work breaking down color barriers in professional basketball. In fact, he drafted Chuck Cooper, the first African American NBA player, in 1950; introduced the first African American starting five in 1964; and hired Bill Russell as the first African American head coach in 1966.

1. Phil Jackson

Jack Smith / AP Photo

No. of wins: 11

Team(s) won with (years): Chicago Bulls (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)

Coaching career: 1989–1998, 1999–2004, 2005–2011

Bottom line: Phil Jackson has more NBA championship rings than he has fingers to wear them all. Influenced by Eastern philosophy, he has a holistic approach to coaching that’s earned him the nickname “Zen Master.”

Let’s just say it works, as he’s known for creating two NBA dynasty teams in his coaching career. The first was with the Chicago Bulls during its Michael Jordan era, and the second was with the Los Angeles Lakers during its Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant era.

For more on NBA coaches, check “Most Underrated NBA Coaches of All Time.”