List of coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame


The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches, referees, and other major contributors to the sport. Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Basketball Hall of Fame is named after Dr. James Naismith, who invented the sport in 1891; he was inducted into the Hall as a contributor in 1959. The Coach category has existed since the beginning of the Hall of Fame. For a person to be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, they must either be "fully retired for five years" or, if they are still active, "have coached as either a fulltime assistant or head coach on the high school and/or college and/or professional level" for 25 years.
As part of the inaugural class of 1959, three coaches were inducted ; in total, 100 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as coaches.
Six coaching inductees were associated with teams that were inducted to the Hall of Fame as units. Don Haskins, inducted in 1997, was the coach of the 1966 Texas Western basketball team, which was inducted in 2007. Dutch Lonborg, inducted in 1973, was manager of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team that was inducted in 2010. Three coaching inductees were members of the staff for the 1992 U.S. Olympic team that was also inducted in 2010—head coach Chuck Daly and assistants Lenny Wilkens and Mike Krzyzewski. Cathy Rush was the head coach of the Immaculata College women's team of 1972–1974 that was inducted in 2014.
Ten of the inducted coaches were born outside the United States: Cesare Rubini, Aleksandr J. Gomelsky, Antonio Díaz-Miguel, Aleksandar "Aza" Nikolić, Geno Auriemma, Alessandro "Sandro" Gamba, Mirko Novosel, Pedro Ferrándiz, Lidia Alexeeva, and Lindsay Gaze. Ten of the inducted coaches are women: L. Margaret Wade, Jody Conradt, Pat Head Summitt, Sandra Kay Yow, Sue Gunter, Rush, C. Vivian Stringer, Tara VanDerveer, Alexeeva, and Sylvia Hatchell. Four coaches have also been inducted as players: John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Wilkens, and Tom Heinsohn. One of the more recent inductees in this category was John McLendon, who was inducted as a head coach in 2016. McLendon had also been inducted as a contributor in 1979, making him the first individual ever to be inducted as both a coach and contributor.
Unlike recent years, in which individuals directly elected by special Hall committees were announced separately from the rest of the class, all 2016 inductees were announced at the same event. Specifically, the announcement of the class of 2016 was made on April 4 during the festivities surrounding the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston.

Coaches

YearInducteesAchievementsRef.Nationality
1959Two Helms Foundation championships ; Founder of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. National Association of Basketball Coaches National Coach of the Year ; NCAA Tournament Champion ; 26 regular season conference championships. Responsible for basketball being accepted as an Olympic sport. Olympic gold medal winner. 746 career wins. Known as "The Father of Basketball Coaching."United States
1959Created Figure 8 offense in 1922; Helms Foundation championship United States
1959Three Helms Foundation championships ; Eight Big Ten Conference championships ; charter member of National Basketball Coaches AssociationUnited States
1960Coached Passaic High School to a high school record 159-game winning streak and seven high school state championships; five prep-school state championships United States
1960Led University of Rhode Island to four National Invitation Tournament berths; University of Rhode Island Gymnasium dedicated in his honor in 1953; first coach to be signed by the Boston CelticsUnited States
196011 Big Ten Conference championships ; Helms Foundation championship ; inducted into Helms Foundation Hall of Fame; Most Outstanding Coach by Esquire United States
1961Two Helms Foundation championships United States
1961Amateur Athletic Union championship United States
1964Basketball Association of America Western Division championship ; National Invitation Tournament championship ; NCAA championship ; East All-Star coach in College All-Star Game United States
1965NCAA championship ; member and treasurer of National Basketball Rules Committee; member of U.S. Olympic Basketball Olympic CommitteeUnited States
1966Three Big Ten Conference championships ; NCAA championship United States
1968National Coach of the Year ; NIT championship United States
1968Five Pacific Coast Conference championships ; eight Far West Conference championships; coached 1964 NABC All-Star GameUnited States
1968NCAA championship ; three Ivy League championships United States
1969Nine National Basketball Association championships ; coached NBA All-Star Game ; NBA Coach of the Year ; NBA Executive of the Year ; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
1969Two-time National Coach of the Year ; 14 Missouri Valley Conference championships ; Big Eight championship ; first of only two coaches in history to win two Olympic gold medals, FIBA Hall of Fame United States
1969NIT championship ; four NCAA championships ; four-time National and Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year; co-coached U.S. Olympic team ; 27 Southeastern Conference championships United States
1970Southern Conference championship ; NCAA championship ; College Coach of the Year, 1947; five NCAA and two NIT tournament appearances United States
1972First coach in NCAA history to coach 1,000 games at one school; three NCAA and eight NIT tournament appearances ; won 32 conference titles in 3 conferences; pioneer of fast break basketballUnited States
1973Three NCAA tournament appearances and six conference championships ; Chairman of NCAA Rules Committee ; co-coached U.S. Olympic team United States
1973AAU championship ; Big Ten Conference championship ; chaired the NCAA Tournament Committee ; manager of U.S. Olympic team United States
1973Ten NCAA championships in 12 years ; NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year ; NCAA Division I record winning streak of 88 games; The Sporting News Sportsman of the Year ; Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year ; compiled an 885–203 record during his 40-year coaching careerUnited States
1976NCAA Final Four United States
1977NCAA runner-up ; NCAA championship ; National Coach of the Year ; ACC Coach of the Year United States
1979Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships ; Big Ten Conference championship ; Pacific Coast Conference championships ; NCAA third-place finish United States
19794 Missouri Valley Conference championships ; NIT championship ; Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl championships ; United States Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year United States
1979NCAA Final Four ; NIT championship ; USBWA Coach of the Year ; NABC Coach of the Year United States
1980Developed five-man weave offense; AAU national championship ; NCAA championship United States
1981Five NCAA College Division championships ; NCAA College Division Coach of the Year ; coached the Olympic Trials teams United States
19824 state championships ; six Southern Conference titles ; 4 Atlantic Coast Conference titles ; ACC Coach of the Year United States
198212 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships; CIAA Coach of the Year ; NCAA College Division championship ; NCAA College Division Coach of the Year United States
1983NIT championship ; 3 NCAA championships ; Olympic gold medal ; Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, FIBA Hall of Fame United States
1984National Coach of the Year ; three Big Seven titles ; five Skyline Conference titles ; coached NABC East-West All-Star United States
1985NIT third-place finish ; six NIT and three NCAA tournament berths ; first coach to take two different schools to the NIT; President of NABC United States
1985National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship game ; coached U.S. Pan American gold medal ; seven-time NAIA District I Coach of the Year; NABC Coach of the Year NCAA Division I United States
1985All-Conference ; Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Championships ; later a member of the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
1986National Basketball League All-Star First-Team ; NBA Coach of the Year ; three NBA championships ; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
1986NCAA championship ; NCAA Final Four ; won or shared seven Big Ten Conference titles ; Coach of the Year by USBWA and United Press International United States
1986Two NIT championships ; eight conference titles: Mountain State Athletic Conference, Skyline Conference, Western Athletic Conference ; 11 postseason tournaments United States
1988Associated Press National Coach of the Year ; conference championships ; Pac-10 Coach of the Year United States
1991Four NCAA championships ; Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year ; National Coach of the Year ; Olympic gold medal United States
1992Big East Conference Coach of the Year ; National Coach of the Year by USBWA and NABC ; NCAA Final Four ; NIT championship United States
1992NIT championship ; National Coach of the Year ; NABC Coach of the Year ; NCAA championship United States
1992NCAA Final Four ; NBA championship ; led Portland to playoffs 9 times in 10 seasons; retired as the NBA's second-winningest coach; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
1992NCAA championship ; Coach of the Year ; NCAA third-place finish ; Pacific Coach of the Year United States
1994USA World University Games gold medal ; two NCAA Championships ; National Coach of the Year ; three NIT tournaments and the 1985 NIT Semifinals ; 3 Missouri Valley Conference titles, 12 regular season Metro Conference titles and 11 Metro Conference championships United States
1994Ivy League championship ; NBA championships ; three Eastern and Central Division titles ; Olympic gold medal ; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
1994Olympics silver medal ; EuroBasket gold medal ; EuroBasket 1985 bronze medal; 9 Italian League championships, FIBA Hall of Fame Italy
1995Six EuroBasket Championships ; 2 World Cups ; Olympics gold medal ; three-time European Coach of the Year; Olympic Order from International Olympic Committee; FIBA Hall of Fame, one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in EuroLeague History Russia
1995NBL championship ; BAA championship ; NBA championship ; coached 4 NBA All-Star Games ; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
199713 Ivy League championships ; NIT championship ; 13 postseason tournaments ; led nation in defensive points allowed United States
1997EuroBasket silver medal ; Spain's Coach of the Year ; Olympics silver medal ; Spanish national team Coach from 1965 to 1992, FIBA Hall of Fame Spain
1997NCAA championship ; had the fourth-most wins in NCAA history United States
1998National Coach of the Year ; NCAA championship ; Southwest Conference Coach of the Year ; member of the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
1998AAU championship ; NBA Coach of the Year ; American Basketball Association Coach of the Year United States
1998European Coach of the Year ; EuroBasket gold medal ; FIBA World Cup gold medal ;, FIBA Hall of Fame, one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in EuroLeague History
1998NBA championship ; assistant coach of U.S. gold medal basketball team ; NBA Coach of the Year ; Olympic gold medal ; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
1999AIAW championship ; AIAW Final Four ; Olympic silver medal ; AIAW Championship United States
1999NCAA championship ; NCAA Final Fours ; National Coach of the Year ; Big East Coach of the Year United States
2000Olympic gold medal, ; eight NCAA championships ; Naismith College Coach of the Year ; Naismith Coach of the Century ; member of the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, FIBA Hall of Fame United States
2000Five high school national championships ; USA Today National Coach of the Year ; Walt Disney Award ; Naismith Scholastic Coach of the Century United States
2001NCAA Division II ; Division II National Coach of the Year ; USBWA National Coach of the Year ; Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year United States
2001At time of induction:
  • Three national championships
  • Nine NCAA Final Fours
Since induction:
  • Two national championships
  • Three NCAA Final Fours
  • Winningest coach in the NCAA tournament
  • Winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's history
  • First coach to lead a team to three Olympic gold medals in basketball
  • FIBA World Championship, 2010, 2014
United States
2002NCAA championship ; USA Basketball National Coach of the Year ; NBA Coach of the Year ; later won the NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons United States
2002NCAA championship ; National Coach of the Year ; gold medal coach at Jones Cup and World Championships United States
2002NCAA Final Four ; Olympic gold medal ; enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, FIBA Hall of Fame United States
2003Naismith National Coach of the Year ; nine NCAA Final Fours and two national titles ; reached 500 wins faster than any other coach in women's basketball history; enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
2004Only coach to win professional championships and Coach of the Year honors the same season in three different leagues ; coached the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA-record 33 consecutive victories United States
2005National championship ; Big East Conference Coach of the Year ; four NCAA Final Fours ; USA Basketball National Coach of the Year ; AP National Coach of the Year.United States
2005National championships ; NIT Championship ; National Coach of the Year ; Big East Conference Coach of the Year United States
2005Retired as the third-winningest coach in Division I women's basketball history; National Coach of the Year ; enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
2006At time of induction:
  • Five national championships
  • Two unbeaten seasons
  • NCAA Division I record winning streak of 70 games
  • 5× National Coach of the Year
  • Enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
    • Since induction:
    • Six national championships
    • Four unbeaten seasons
    • Separate Division I record winning streaks of 90 and 111 games
    • 5× National Coach of the Year
    • Coached USA to Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016
    		United States
    2006Olympics silver medal ; EuroBasket gold medal ; EuroBasket silver medal ; EuroBasaket bronze medal Italy
    2007At time of induction:
  • 3× Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year
  • 4× WNBA titles
  • 3× coach of the WNBA Western Conference All-Stars
  • Coach of the WNBA's All-Decade Team
  • Retired from the WNBA as the league's winningest coach
  • 2× USA Basketball National Coach of the Year
  • World Championship gold medal
  • Olympic gold
    • Since induction:
    • Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year
    		United States
    20074 EuroLeague championships ; co-founder of the World Association of Basketball Coaches ; Olympic Order from International Olympic Committee; FIBA Order of Merit ; one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in EuroLeague History, FIBA Hall of Fame Spain
    2007First coach in NBA history to lead a team to three consecutive championships in three separate stretches Chicago Bulls, 1991–93, 1996–98; Los Angeles Lakers, 2000–02 ; coached the Chicago Bulls to NBA-record 72–10 season ; led his teams to NBA-record 25 consecutive postseason series victories ; winner of NBA-record 11 championships; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History United States
    2007Olympics silver medal, bronze medal with Yugoslavia; FIBA World Cup silver medal with Yugoslavia ; seven Yugoslav Cups, FIBA Hall of Fame
    20073 NCAA Titles ; 9 NCAA Final Four ; took less time than any other men's basketball coach to win 500 games; six-time National Coach of the YearUnited States
    2008NBA Coach of the Year ; five NBA championships ; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History ; a record 11-time NBA Coach of the MonthUnited States
    2008Three consecutive AIAW national titles ; Pan American Games gold medal ; USBWA Pioneer Award ; founder of Women's Athletic Service, Inc.; enshrined in Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
    2009First NBA coach to win 1,000 games with a single franchise ; Sporting News NBA Coach of the Year ; two NBA Finals appearances ; nine-time NBA Coach of the Month; tied for third for winningest coach in NBA historyUnited States
    2009National Coach of the Year ; first coach to lead 3 different schools to the NCAA Final Four ; led teams to 29 20-win seasons in her first 38 years; enshrined in Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
    2010Three USA Today national high school championships ; three-time USA Today National Coach of the Year ; 25 New Jersey state parochial school championships; five undefeated seasons United States
    2011Head coach at Philadelphia University ; most wins by an NCAA men's head coach in any division; NCAA College Division championship ; Division II Coach of the Year ; NABC Guardians of the Game award ; Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame ; also a renowned shooting instructorUnited States
    2011Head coach at Stanford University ; two NCAA championships and seven other Final Four appearances; Naismith National Coach of the Year ; Olympic gold medal ; Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
    2012Two Olympic gold medals and 11 European championships as head coach of the Soviet Union women's team; Women's Basketball Hall of Fame ; FIBA Hall of Fame Russia
    2012Winningest coach in NBA history at time of induction; three-time NBA Coach of the Year ; 18 consecutive postseason appearances; one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History ; also coached USA men to World Championship gold in 1994United States
    2013One of only three college women's basketball coaches with more than 900 wins at the time of induction; only college women's coach to win national championships at three different levels ; AP Coach of the Year, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame United States
    2013Won nearly 600 games in a 30-year career at the University of Houston; responsible for the integration of the Houston program; five Final Four appearances, including the Phi Slama Jama teams ; twice AP Coach of the Year ; architect of the 1968 "Game of the Century" against UCLA, the first nationally televised regular-season college gameUnited States
    2013Only NCAA Division I men's coach to win national championships at two different schools ; first coach to take three different schools to the men's Final Four ; four-time conference Coach of the Year United States
    2013Took three different programs to the NCAA men's tournament ; one national championship and three other Final Fours at UNLV ; four-time national Coach of the Year United States
    2014Three ABA championships ; winningest coach in Pacers history, winningest coach in ABA history, and winningest playoff coach in ABA history United States
    2014Only coach to win NJCAA, NIT, and NCAA Division I titles ; two other Final Fours at Arkansas; nine conference championships at Arkansas ; Naismith Coach of the Year, 1994; also coached Panama and Mexico national teamsUnited States
    2014Over 600 career college coaching wins ; one national championship, one other Final Four, and three ACC regular-season titles at Maryland; twice ACC Coach of the Year United States
    2015The only coach to coach a men's college basketball team to 38 wins in a season. He has done it three times – in 2008, 2012, 2015. He has won one National Championship, two runner-up finishes,, and three other Final Fours,,. He's won one NIT championship, twelve conference tournament championships, and twelve conference regular season championships. He's been named three times the Naismith Coach of the Year, once the Associated Press Coach of the Year, 3 NABC Coach of the Year awards, as well as a multitude of other awards including conference coach of the year seven times.United States
    2015Coached Australian national team in four Olympic Games 3x NBL Coach of the Year
    Author, Better Basketball and Winning Basketball
    Enshrinee, FIBA Hall of Fame, 2010    		Australia
    2015NBA Coach of the Year, 1973
    2 NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics
    Led Boston Celtics to five consecutive first-place finishes in the Atlantic Division, 1972–77
    Led Boston Celtics to franchise record 68 wins, 1973    		United States
    2016Over 600 college career wins, 1 NCAA Championship, 8x NCAA Final Fours, AP College Coach of the Year, 9x Big Ten Regular Season Championships, 6x Big Ten Tournament Championships, 3x Big Ten Coach of the YearUnited States
    2016Over 400 college career wins, 3x NAIA Coach of the Year award, 3x NAIA championships with Tennessee State A&I University, 8 CIAA Championships with North Carolina College for Negroes
    Previously inducted in 1979 as a contributor    		United States
    2017Winningest coach in High School Boys Basketball History, 5x Texas State Championships, 1x National High School Coach of the Year, Recipient of the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award United States
    20172 NCAA Championships, 8x NCAA Final Fours, 3x AP Coach of the Year, 1 of 6 Coaches with 800 wins, 8 Final Fours, and 6 Championship Game AppearancesUnited States
    2017Over 600 college career wins, 1 NCAA Championship, 3x NCAA Final Fours, 1x Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, 2x AP National Coach of the Year, NCAA Record 14 consecutive regular season conference titles United States
    2018Won nearly 800 games, 1972 NIT Championship, 16 Conference Championships, & 6 Conference Tournament Championships. Inventor of “Midnight Madness”, first coach to win 100 games at four different schools, first coach to be named Conference Coach of the Year in four different conferences, one of 11 coaches to lead four schools to the NCAA Tournament.United States
    2019Over 900 NBA wins, 1981 NBA champion, 2x NBA Coach of the Year, took 5 different teams to the NBA Playoffs, one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History, Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award United States