List of New York Knicks head coaches

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The New York Knickerbockers are an American professional basketball team based in New York City. They are a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They play their home games at Madison Square Garden. The franchise's official name "Knickerbockers" came from the style of pants Dutch settlers wore when they moved to America. [1] Having joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the predecessor of the NBA, in 1946, the Knicks remain as one of the oldest teams in the NBA. [2] During Red Holzman's tenure, the franchise won its only two NBA championships, the 1970 NBA Finals and the 1973 NBA Finals.

Contents

There have been 26 head coaches for the New York Knicks franchise. Holzman was the franchise's first Coach of the Year winner and is the team's all-time leader in regular season games coached, regular season games won, playoff games coached, and playoff games won. [3] Holzman was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 as a coach. [3] Besides Holzman, Rick Pitino, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, and Larry Brown have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches. Four coaches have been named to the list of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. [4] Neil Cohalan, Joe Lapchick, Vince Boryla, Carl Braun, Eddie Donovan and Herb Williams have spent their entire coaching careers with the Knicks. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Boryla, Braun, Harry Gallatin, Dick McGuire, Willis Reed and Williams formerly played for the Knicks. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Key

GCGames coached
WWins
LLosses
Win% Winning percentage
#Number of coaches [a]
*Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Knicks
Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach

Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.

#NameTerm [b] GCWLWin%GCWLWin%AchievementsReference
Regular seasonPlayoffs
1 Neil Cohalan * 1946–1947 603327.550523.400 [5]
2 Joe Lapchick * 19471956 573326247.569603030.500 [6]
3 Vince Boryla * 19561958 1658085.485 [7]
4 Andrew Levane 19581959 994851.485202.000 [17]
5 Carl Braun * 19591961 (as player-coach)1274087.315 [8]
6 Eddie Donovan * 19611965 27884194.302 [9]
7 Harry Gallatin 1965 632538.397 [18]
8 Dick McGuire 19651967 17775102.424413.250 [19]
9 Red Holzman 19671977 783466317.595955441.568 1969–70 NBA Coach of the Year
2 championships (1970, 1973)
One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [4]
[3]
10 Willis Reed 19771978 964947.510624.333 [20]
Red Holzman 19781982 314147167.468202.000One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [4] [3]
11 Hubie Brown 19821986 344142202.41318810.444 [21]
12 Bob Hill 1986–1987 662046.303 [22]
13 Rick Pitino 19871989 1649074.5491367.462 [23]
14 Stu Jackson 19891990 975245.5361046.400 [24]
15 John MacLeod 1990–1991 673235.478303.000 [25]
16 Pat Riley 19911995 328223105.680633528.556 1992–93 NBA Coach of the Year
One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [4]
[26]
17 Don Nelson 1995–1996 593425.576One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [4] [27]
18 Jeff Van Gundy 19962001 420248172.590693732.536 [28]
19 Don Chaney 20012004 18472112.391 [29]
20 Herb Williams * 2004 1101.000 [10]
21 Lenny Wilkens 20042005 814041.494404.000One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [4] [30]
Herb Williams * 2005 431627.372 [10]
22 Larry Brown 2005–2006 822359.280 [31]
23 Isiah Thomas 20062008 16456108.341 [32]
24 Mike D'Antoni 20082012 288121167.420404.000 [33]
25 Mike Woodson 20122014 18810979.58017710.412 [34]
26 Derek Fisher * 20142016 1364096.294 [35]
27 Kurt Rambis 2016 28919.321 [36]
28 Jeff Hornacek 20162018 16460104.366 [37]
29 David Fizdale 20182019 1042183.202 [38]
30 Mike Miller * 2019–2020 441727.386 [39]
31 Tom Thibodeau 2020–present318175143.5501679.438 2020–21 NBA Coach of the Year [40]

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Knicks</span> National Basketball Association team in New York City

The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other team is the Brooklyn Nets. Alongside the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams still located in its original city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Holzman</span> American basketball player and coach (1920–1998)

William "Red" Holzman was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to 1977, and again from 1978 to 1982. Holzman helped lead the Knicks to two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willis Reed</span> American basketball player (1942–2023)

Willis Reed Jr. was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten-year pro playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Reed was a seven-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, including once on the first team in 1970, when he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a two-time NBA champion and was voted the NBA Finals MVP both times. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to both the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Guerin</span> American basketball player and coach

Richard Vincent Guerin is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks franchise where he spent nine years. On February 15, 2013, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Guerin had been elected as one of its 2013 inductees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Gallatin</span> American basketball player and coach

Harry Junior "The Horse" Gallatin was an American professional basketball player and coach. Gallatin played nine seasons for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1948 to 1957, as well as one season with the Detroit Pistons in the 1957–58 season. Gallatin led the NBA in rebounding and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1954. The following year, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. For his career, Gallatin played in seven NBA All-Star Games. A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he is also a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the SIU Edwardsville Athletics Hall of Fame, the Truman State University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, two Illinois Basketball Halls of Fame, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Hall of Fame, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame, and the SIU Salukis Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Lapchick</span> American basketball player and coach

Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick was an American professional basketball player, mostly known for playing with the Original Celtics in the 1920s and 1930s. He is commonly regarded as the best center of his era, overshadowed in his later years only by Tarzan Cooper. After ending his playing career in 1937, Lapchick became head coach at St. John's University, a position he held until 1947, when he took over the New York Knicks in the NBA. Lapchick coached the Knicks until 1957, leading them to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (1951–53). He returned to St. John's, coaching them until 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Van Gundy</span> American basketball commentator and former coach

Jeffrey William Van Gundy is an American commentator and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his tenure on the Knicks, he led the team to the 1999 NBA Finals, where they ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs. He currently serves as a senior consultant in the Boston Celtics front office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Boryla</span> American basketball player, coach, and executive (1927–2016)

Vincent Joseph Boryla was an American basketball player, coach and executive. His nickname was "Moose". He graduated from East Chicago Washington High School in 1944. He played basketball at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Denver, where he was named a consensus All-American in 1949. Boryla was part of the U.S team that won the gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.

Cornelius Joseph "Neil" Cohalan was an American basketball coach. He was the first coach of the New York Knicks and has the distinction of being the winning coach of the first game played in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the forerunner to the modern National Basketball Association (NBA). The game, a November 1, 1946 contest between the Knicks and the Toronto Huskies played in famed Maple Leaf Gardens, was won 68–66 by the Knickerbockers.

The 1951 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on March 2, 1951, at Boston Garden in Boston, home of the Boston Celtics. The game was the first edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game and was played during the 1950–51 NBA season. The idea of holding an All-Star Game was conceived during a meeting between NBA President Maurice Podoloff, NBA publicity director Haskell Cohen and Boston Celtics owner Walter A. Brown. At that time, the basketball world had just been stunned by the college basketball point-shaving scandal. In order to regain public attention to the league, Cohen suggested the league to host an exhibition game featuring the league's best players, similar to the Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. Although most people, including Podoloff, were pessimistic about the idea, Brown remained confident that it would be a success. He even offered to host the game and to cover all the expenses or potential losses incurred from the game. The Eastern All-Stars team defeated the Western All-Stars team 111–94. Boston Celtics' Ed Macauley was named as the first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. The game became a success, drawing an attendance of 10,094, much higher than that season's average attendance of 3,500.

The 1946–47 New York Knicks season was the first season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Knicks, the shortened form of Knickerbockers, named for Father Knickerbocker, are one of only two teams of the original National Basketball Association still located in its original city. The Knickerbockers first head coach was Neil Cohalan.

The 1947–48 New York Knicks season was the second season for the team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later merged with the National Basketball League to become the National Basketball Association. The Knicks finished in second place in the Eastern Division with a 26–22 record and qualified for the BAA Playoffs. In the first round, New York was eliminated by the Baltimore Bullets in a best-of-three series, two games to one. Carl Braun was the team's scoring leader during the season.

The 1953–54 New York Knicks season was the eighth season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). New York won its second straight regular season Eastern Division title with a 44–28 record, which placed them two games ahead of the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals. The first round of the 1954 NBA Playoffs consisted of round-robin tournaments, where the top three teams in each division played each other in home and away matchups. The Knicks went 0–4 against the Celtics and Nationals, and did not qualify for the Eastern Division Finals.

The 2001–02 New York Knicks season was the 56th season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). During the off-season, the Knicks acquired Shandon Anderson from the Houston Rockets and Howard Eisley from the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade, and signed free agent Clarence Weatherspoon. Entering the season, the Knicks were without Larry Johnson, who retired during training camp due to lingering injuries, ending his 10-year career in the NBA. After a 10–9 start to the season, head coach Jeff Van Gundy unexpectedly resigned in December, explaining he had "diminished focus", though he would return to coach the Houston Rockets in the 2003–04 season. Don Chaney took over for Van Gundy. Under Chaney, the Knicks suffered an 8-game losing streak in January and went 20–43 for the remainder of the season, as Marcus Camby missed the final 39 games due to a hip injury.

The 1987–88 New York Knicks season was the 42nd season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early in the season, the Knicks signed free agent and second-year forward Johnny Newman. The Knicks finished the regular season with a 38–44 record, and qualified for the 1988 NBA Playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, New York lost a best-of-five series to the Boston Celtics, 3–1. Following the season, Bill Cartwright was traded to the Chicago Bulls. First-round draft pick Mark Jackson was named Rookie of the Year.

The New York Knickerbockers, better known as the New York Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City that competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Knicks play in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. In its 77 seasons, the franchise has reached the NBA Finals eight times and won two championships. As of the end of the 2021–22 season, New York has won more than 2,900 regular season games, and the team had the fourth-highest victory total in NBA history. Since 1968, the Knicks have played home games at Madison Square Garden.

The 2018–19 New York Knicks season was the 73rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). On April 12, 2018, the Knicks fired head coach Jeff Hornacek after the team missed the playoffs. On May 7, 2018, the Knicks hired David Fizdale as head coach. The Knicks were eliminated from playoff contention on March 4, 2019, when they lost to the Sacramento Kings 115–108. The team ended the season with the worst record in the NBA, and tied the franchise-worst record set in the 2014–15 season.

References

General
Specific
  1. "Why Knickerbockers?". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  2. "History of the New York Knicks". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Red Holzman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Neil Cohalan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Joe Lapchick Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Vince Boryla Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  8. 1 2 "Carl Braun Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Eddie Donovan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  10. 1 2 3 "Herb Williams Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  11. "Vince Boryla Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  12. "Carl Braun Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  13. "Harry Gallatin Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  14. "Dick McGuire Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  15. "Willis Reed Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  16. "Herb Williams Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  17. "Andrew Levane Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  18. "Harry Gallatin Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  19. "Dick McGuire Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  20. "Willis Reed Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  21. "Hubie Brown Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  22. "Bob Hill Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  23. "Rick Pitino Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  24. "Stu Jackson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  25. "John MacLeod Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  26. "Pat Riley Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  27. "Don Nelson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  28. "Jeff Van Gundy Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  29. "Don Chaney Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  30. "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  31. "Larry Brown Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  32. "Isiah Thomas Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  33. "Mike D'Antoni Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  34. "Mike Woodson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  35. "Derek Fisher Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  36. "Kurt Rambis Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  37. "Jeff Hornacek Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  38. "David Fizdale Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  39. "Mike Miller Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  40. "Tom Thibodeau Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2024.