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Rick Carlisle's departure from the Dallas Mavericks means he is no longer among the top five longest-tenured head coaches in the NBA for one team. Carlisle, who led the Mavericks to an NBA championship win in 2011, signed with the club in May 2008 and led them to nine playoff appearances in 13 seasons.
He will now be returning to the Indiana Pacers where he was at the helm for four seasons between 2003-2007.
Apart from Carlisle, another coach in the form of Terry Stotts saw his tenure come to an end with the Portland Trail Blazers recently. He was also among the top five longest-tenured coaches leading the Trail Blazers since the 2012-13 season.
With two experienced head coaches now out of the top five, two others have made their way into the top five list of the longest-tenured head coaches for one team.
On that note, let's find out who they are and who currently tops the list.
#5 Michael Malone - Denver Nuggets (Head coach since 2015-16 NBA season)
Michael Malone is the newest entrant on the list. He has been the head coach of the Denver Nuggets since the 2015-16 NBA season. Malone had a rough start to his tenure at the club, failing to make the postseason for three straight years.
Nonetheless, he has led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances to date since then and is yet to face a first-round exit in his head coaching career.
His worst finish in the postseason has been a Conference Semi-Finals exit (twice) in the 2018-19 campaign and the 2020-21 campaign. He led the team to the Conference Finals in the 2019-2020 NBA season, in which they lost to the eventual champions LA Lakers. Malone's 2019-2020 Nuggets were the first team to overturn 1-3 deficits twice in a single postseason campaign.
They achieved the feat against the Utah Jazz in round one and the LA Clippers in the Conference Semi-Finals. His record with the Nuggets is currently 266-207. He is currently under contract until the 2022-23 NBA season.
#4 Quin Snyder - Utah Jazz (Head coach since 2014-15 NBA season)
Quin Snyder moved up the list along with Michael Malone as one of the top five longest tenure head coaches in the NBA right now. After missing the NBA playoffs in his first two seasons with the Utah Jazz, Snyder led them to five consecutive NBA playoff appearances to date.
The 2020-21 NBA season was one of his most successful campaigns so far. The Jazz entered the NBA playoffs with the best record in the league for the first time. Snyder was also voted in as the Western Conference head coach in this year's NBA All-Star game.
He hasn't been as successful in the postseason, though, with his best achievement being reaching the Conference Semi-Finals thrice.
Snyder's head coaching record with the Jazz is currently 323-231.
#3 Steve Kerr - Golden State Warriors (Head coach since 2014-15 NBA season)
Steve Kerr is one of the most decorated players and coaches in the NBA. He started his coaching career with the Golden State Warriors in May 2014 and kicked off with a 19-2 record, the fourth coach to do so in NBA history. He led the franchise to win their first NBA championship since 1975.
He led the Warriors to five consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning three of them. His record as a head coach is currently 376-171.
#2 Erik Spoelstra - Miami Heat (Head coach since 2008-09 NBA season)
Erik Spoelstra has been at the Miami Heat since 2001, beginning his coaching career as an assistant coach for the team, before eventually being given the head coaching job in 2008. He has coached 1,031 games, registering a 607-424 record so far.
Spoelstra won two NBA championships as head coach in 2012 and 2013. He led the team to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2011-2014 and five in total, including the 2020 NBA Finals. He helped the side make ten playoff appearances in the 13 seasons he has been with them.
#1 Greg Popovich - San Antonio Spurs (Head coach since 1996-97 NBA season)
Greg Popovich started his tenure at the San Antonio Spurs as a GM and executive before he named himself as the new head coach during the 1996-97 NBA season. The campaign did not end well for the side due to injuries as they could only manage a 20-62 record. However, that helped them secure the number one draft pick in the 1997 NBA draft, through which they acquired Tim Duncan.
Popovich went on to lead the Spurs to 22 consecutive NBA Playoff appearances until the 2018-19 NBA season, missing out just twice in the last two years. They won the NBA title five times under his reign in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. Popovich is widely regarded as one of the best head coaches in the NBA.
He has coached 1963 games, recording a staggering 1310-653 win/loss record during his tenure.
