5 NBA coaches with the most championship rings
NBA coaches are the heartbeat of their team. They provide a game plan, are mentors for their players and quite often take the brunt of the responsibility when the team does not perform to expectation. Only the best coaches can earn a place in the league and even fewer have the opportunity to lead a side to Finals glory.
In this article, we will run down the five NBA coaches in the history of the league who have won the most rings while leading the team from the sideline.
The NBA's 5 most successful coaches
#5 Gregg Popovich
Gregg Popovich is the most decorated coach currently leading a team in the NBA and ranks fifth for most rings won of all time. After short stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors as an assistant, Popovich sealed the head coaching role with the Spurs in 1996, a job he has held ever since.
Popovich's Spurs teams have always been tough to beat and are constantly underestimated. He is known to get the best out of his players, bringing in those who are often overlooked and making them better.
In just his second season with the franchise, the San Antonio Spurs drafted Tim Duncan as the No.1 overall pick. With the versatile big man, Popovich would go on to create a dynasty with the Spurs, winning five championships in 16 years. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time and one of the most likable individuals in the game.
#4 Pat Riley
Prior to pulling all the strings as President of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley was an NBA champion both as a player and as a coach. In fact, akin to Popovich, the 76-year-old won five titles as a coach, four of which came in a seven-season span with the LA Lakers in the '80s and his fifth with the Miami Heat in 2006.
Riley's Lakers side were phenomenal and contained three future Hall-of-Famers in Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. Aside from their four titles, Riley also led them to three other NBA Finals appearances, battling with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers throughout the decade.
Later in his career, Riley took up the reigns twice as the head coach of the Miami Heat and was simultaneously the franchise's president at the time.
With Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, Riley led the organization to its first ever NBA Finals appearance after defeating the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals. They would go on to win four games in a row against the Dallas Mavericks after going down two games in the title series.