NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships from 1956 to 1966. The winner is selected at the end of the regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The person with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 40 different coaches. The most recent award winner is current Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson and Pat Riley have each won the award three times, while Hubie Brown, Budenholzer, Mike D'Antoni, Bill Fitch, Cotton Fitzsimmons, and Gene Shue have each won it twice. No coach has won consecutive Coach of the Year awards. Riley is the only coach to be named Coach of the Year with three franchises. Larry Bird is the only recipient to have also been named MVP as a player. Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, and Lenny Wilkens are the only recipients to have been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. Johnny Kerr is the only person to win the award with a losing record. Kerr was honored because he had guided the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs in their first season in the league. Doc Rivers is the only person to win the award despite his team not making the playoffs. Only five recipients also coached the team that won the championship the same season: Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Bill Sharman, Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich. Popovich is the only NBA Coach of the Year recipient to win the championship in the same season twice, winning the NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 and 2014.
2015–16 recipient Steve Kerr only coached 39 of the 82 games in the season due to complications from offseason back surgery, though he received credit for all of the Golden State Warriors' 73 wins that season. Assistant coach Luke Walton served as interim head coach for the other 43 games for the Warriors, receiving one second-place vote and two third-place votes.
Winners
| ^ | Denotes head coach who is still active in the NBA |
| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
| Bold | Team won NBA championship for that season |
| W–L | Win–loss record for that season |
| Win% | Winning percentage for that season |
| Season | Coach | Nationality | Team | W–L | Win% |
| United States | St. Louis Hawks | 48–32 | .600 | ||
| * | United States | San Francisco Warriors | 48–32 | .600 | |
| * | United States | Boston Celtics | 62–18 | .775 | |
| United States | Philadelphia 76ers | 55–25 | .688 | ||
| United States | Chicago Bulls | 33–48 | .407 | ||
| United States | St. Louis Hawks | 56–26 | .683 | ||
| United States | Baltimore Bullets | 57–25 | .695 | ||
| * | United States | New York Knicks | 60–22 | .732 | |
| United States | Chicago Bulls | 51–31 | .622 | ||
| * | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | 69–13 | .841 | |
| * | United States | Boston Celtics | 68–14 | .829 | |
| United States | Detroit Pistons | 52–30 | .634 | ||
| United States | Kansas City-Omaha Kings | 44–38 | .537 | ||
| * | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | 49–33 | .598 | |
| United States | Houston Rockets | 49–33 | .598 | ||
| United States | Atlanta Hawks | 41–41 | .500 | ||
| United States | Kansas City Kings | 48–34 | .585 | ||
| * | United States | Boston Celtics | 61–21 | .744 | |
| United States | Indiana Pacers | 44–38 | .537 | ||
| United States | Washington Bullets | 43–39 | .524 | ||
| * | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | 51–31 | .622 | |
| United States | Utah Jazz | 45–37 | .549 | ||
| * | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | 59–23 | .720 | |
| United States | Atlanta Hawks | 50–32 | .610 | ||
| United States | Portland Trail Blazers | 49–33 | .598 | ||
| United States | Denver Nuggets | 54–28 | .659 | ||
| United States | Phoenix Suns | 55–27 | .671 | ||
| * | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | 63–19 | .768 | |
| United States | Houston Rockets | 52–30 | .634 | ||
| * | United States | Golden State Warriors | 55–27 | .671 | |
| * | United States | New York Knicks | 60–22 | .732 | |
| * | United States | Atlanta Hawks | 57–25 | .695 | |
| United States | Los Angeles Lakers | 48–34 | .585 | ||
| * | United States | Chicago Bulls | 72–10 | .878 | |
| * | United States | Miami Heat | 61–21 | .744 | |
| United States | Indiana Pacers | 58–24 | .707 | ||
| United States | Portland Trail Blazers | 35–15 | .700 | ||
| ^ | United States | Orlando Magic | 41–41 | .500 | |
| * | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | 56–26 | .683 | |
| ^ | United States | Detroit Pistons | 50–32 | .610 | |
| ^ | United States | San Antonio Spurs | 60–22 | .732 | |
| United States | Memphis Grizzlies | 50–32 | .610 | ||
| ^ | United States | Phoenix Suns | 62–20 | .756 | |
| United States | Dallas Mavericks | 60–22 | .732 | ||
| United States | Toronto Raptors | 47–35 | .573 | ||
| United States | New Orleans Hornets | 56–26 | .683 | ||
| United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | 66–16 | .805 | ||
| ^ | United States | Oklahoma City Thunder | 50–32 | .610 | |
| ^ | United States | Chicago Bulls | 62–20 | .756 | |
| ^ | United States | San Antonio Spurs | 50–16 | .758 | |
| United States | Denver Nuggets | 57–25 | .695 | ||
| ^ | United States | San Antonio Spurs | 62–20 | .756 | |
| ^ | United States | Atlanta Hawks | 60–22 | .732 | |
| ^ | United States | Golden State Warriors | 73–9 | .890 | |
| ^ | United States | Houston Rockets | 55–27 | .670 | |
| ^ | United States | Toronto Raptors | 59–23 | .720 | |
| ^ | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | 60–22 | .732 |