Top 5 college basketball coaches who successfully transitioned to the NBA ft. Billy Donovan
Successfully transitioning from coaching college basketball to becoming a coach in the NBA is something very few have managed. It takes a unique coach to instill a philosophy or system that professional players are willing to buy into.
With multiple reports that the LA Lakers are targeting UConn's Dan Hurley to become their next coach, here's a look at the top-five college basketball coaches who had a fruitful transition to the NBA.
Top five college basketball coaches who successfully transitioned to the NBA
#5 Stan Albeck
Stan Albeck began his coaching career at the NCAA Division III level before working his way up to Division II and finally Division I. His NCAA Division I career began at Denver, where he spent two seasons with a total record of 15-35.
He began coaching at the professional level in 1970 with the Denver Rockets in the ABA, taking over as the coach for 71 games. He was then hired as the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1979 before moving to the San Antonio Spurs in 1980.
Albeck had the longest coaching tenure in his career with the Spurs, spending three seasons in San Antonio with a record of 153-93. Albeck then spent time as the coach with the New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls before moving back to college basketball and taking the coaching job at Bradley for five seasons.
#4 Bill Fitch
Bill Fitch's coaching career began at his alma mater, Coe College, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He transitioned to Division II college basketball at North Dakota, where he made three NCAA Tournaments in six seasons. He was hired at Bowling Green in 1967, where he was the coach for one season, leading the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament.
He took the coaching job for two seasons at Minnesota before moving to the NBA as the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. That began the legendary career of Bill Fitch as a coach in the NBA that lasted 25 seasons.
He won the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics during the 1980-81 season and was the Western Conference champion with the Houston Rockets in 1986. Fitch's Hall of Fame career ended in 1998 as a two-time NBA Coach of the Year Award winner and NBA Finals Champion.
#3 Brad Stevens
Current Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, began his coaching career as an assistant at Butler in 2001.
Stevens took over as the Bulldogs head coach in 2007 and led them to the NCAA Tournament five times in six seasons. He brought the Bulldogs to the Final Four twice, including consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championship game.
Stevens took the head coaching job with the Boston Celtics in 2013 at the age of 37 and spent all eight seasons with the franchise. He finished with a 354-282 career record with the Celtics, leading them to the Easter Conference finals thrice.
He finished as high as third in NBA Coach of the Year voting and is still with the franchise as an executive, giving up his head coaching duties in 2021.
#2 Billy Donovan
Current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Kentucky in 1989. He was hired as the head coach at Marshall in 1994 before taking the job at Florida in 1996. He spent 19 seasons with the Gators, winning back-to-back college basketball national titles in 2006 and 2007.
Donovan was hired as the head coach of the Orlando Magic in 2007 but immediately had second thoughts, returning to Florida. He then took the coaching job with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, where he remained for five seasons.
The Chicago Bulls hired Donovan in 2020, where he remains their coach following the 2023–24 season. His coaching record in the NBA is 399-319, with six playoff appearances and one trip to the Western Conference Finals.
#1 Larry Brown
Hall of Famer Larry Brown has a long history of coaching at both the college and NBA level. He has bounced back and forth between college basketball and the professional game multiple times but began his coaching career as an assistant at North Carolina in 1965.
Brown spent multiple seasons going between the ABA, NBA and college basketball. He's the only coach to win both an NCAA championship and the NBA Finals. He won an NCAA title with Kansas in 1988 and went on to win the NBA title in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons.
Brown has a career record of 1,327-1,011 in the NBA, with his most recent season in 2010-2011 as the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. He most recently served as an assistant coach at Memphis in 2021 and the advisor to the head coach in 2022.
Do you think Dan Hurley could add an NBA title to add to his college basketball collection if he's hired by the LA Lakers? Let's know in the comments section.
Also Read: How many championships has Dan Hurley won? UConn head coach's record and achievements explored