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NBA coaches are often lambasted for not winning titles despite having a consistent record of winning in the regular and post-season. Highly successful coaches sometimes receive unwarranted criticism despite carving out a legacy of their own with their coaching skills and style of play, due to an unhealthy obsession with winning rings.
Players such as Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson sometimes get away with the criticism due to their exceptional personal records and accolades. Coaches do not enjoy the same freedom and are looked at based on the titles that they have won and not on their records, despite having a better win percentage than most coaches with multiple titles.
Some coaches belong in the conversation of the greatest coach of all time, unfortunately, the lack of winning a championship automatically takes them out of the conversation in the minds of an average fan. However, their records speak for themselves irrespective of what anyone says.
Without further ado, here are the top 5 NBA coaches not to win a ring.
#5 Mike D'Antoni
Former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni was the architect who laid the foundations for the three-point revolution in the NBA. D'Antoni's European roots allowed him to create a system based on spreading the floor with shooters and running a high pick and roll with the point guard and big. The system had defenses scrambling while creating open looks for shooters.
It took a while before a team was willing to bet on D'Antoni's system, and fortunately, he found a willing partner in Jerry Collangelo and the Phoenix Suns. This led to the birth of the famous "Seven Seconds or Less" offense, which helped the Suns reach two Western Conference Finals while also earning two MVPs for Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash.
Unfortunately, unsuccessful stints with the LA Lakers and the New York Knicks caused a dent in D'Antoni's legacy as a coach. He made a comeback with the Houston Rockets, leading them to two Western Conference Finals while also unleashing James Harden's capabilities. "The Beard" won an MVP in 2018 as he led the league in scoring, with D'Antoni's system suiting his playing style perfectly.
D'Antoni's Rockets were the only team to come close to ending the Golden State Warriors dynasty if not for an unfortunate injury to star PG Chris Paul.
Mike D'Antoni is the fifth-most winningest coach in NBA history, winning 668 regular-season games with a percentage of .561, while also winning 49 playoff games. Regrettably, his name is not on the Mount Rushmore of NBA coaches due to not winning a championship ring despite being a deserving candidate.
#4 Rick Adelman
Rick Adelman is the third-most winningest coach in NBA history, leading franchises such as the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings to successful seasons despite failing to capture the ultimate prize.
Adelman was ahead of the curve in the eyes of many when it came to his offensive philosophies. He was the ultimate player-coach as he retooled and perfected his system around the personnel he had on his roster, optimizing their strengths while curtailing their weaknesses.
He is credited with revolutionizing the game with his "corner" offense and unleashing the full potential of clever passing big men such as Vlade Divac, Chris Webber and Brad Miller. Adelman's system gave his players complete freedom to read and react according to the way the defense is set up, and this boosted their confidence as they came up with awe-striking plays.
Adelman rejuvenated a stagnant game which relied on dumping the ball to the big man in the post in a slow-paced offense. He built up a storied resume with 1,042 regular-season wins at a percentage of .582, along with 79 playoff wins and two NBA Finals appearances in his 23 seasons as an NBA Head Coach.
Unfortunately, competing against multiple dynasties such as the Chuck Daly-led Bad Boy Pistons, along with the Phil Jackson-led Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, left Adelman ringless despite being one of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen.
#3 Don Nelson
Don Nelson was a brilliant NBA coach and an offensive genius who revolutionized the game with his unorthodox yet innovative style of play which later earned the moniker "Nellie Ball".
Nelson was obsessed with the small-ball lineup and the use of point-forwards, which was against basketball convention at that point. He believed that the offensive explosion that was caused by using smaller and quicker players with better shooting capabilities, would overcome their defensive deficiencies.
Nellie's teams blew their opponents out of the water as they outscored them while playing a lethal yet entertaining brand of basketball. He was the architect behind the legendary "Run TMC" Golden State Warriors team, based around Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. They went on to become the league's highest-scoring trio in the 1990-91 season due to the team's fast-paced run and gun style.
Don Nelson retired as the coach with the most wins in NBA history, accumulating an astonishing 1,335 wins with a percentage of .557 to go along with 75 playoff wins in 31-year career in the league. "Nellie Ball" was criticized as Nelson was unable to win a ring to show that it could work on the biggest stage. He was right, though, as teams such as the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors later re-adapted the system to win championships and create dynasties.
#2 George Karl
George Karl stood among his peers for his adaptability, and his teams were defined by the strengths and weaknesses of the personnel he had on the roster. The legendary coach was known to have a knack for developing players and finding ways to get the most out of them.
He preached a fast-paced up tempo style of play that believed in sharing the ball and not holding on to it for too long while finding the right looks. He is noted to be one of the more potent offensive minds and designed offensive systems that worked on the strengths of his roster while shielding their weaknesses.
Karl was often criticized for placing more emphasis on offense but looking at it in hindsight proved that he did what was necessary according to the construction of his team. In Seattle, his team was known to imbibe his ferociousness and tenacity to be one of the best defenses in the league, while his Bucks and Nuggets teams were more offensively oriented, ranking up there with the best.
He ended up with the third-most number of wins in NBA history with 1,175 wins at .588 percent to go along with 80 playoff wins and an NBA Finals appearance. Unfortunately, Karl did not win the ultimate prize with teams like the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Pop's San Antonio Spurs, standing between him and ultimate glory.
#1 Jerry Sloan
Jerry Sloan is a name synonymous with Utah Jazz basketball for his contributions during his 26-year tenure as Head Coach for the Jazz. He was a visionary who created a system that bucked the trend and had defenses scrambling during those times.
His flex offense was well ahead of the curve and was something that would completely change the way the game was played as teams adopted his system according to their roster 15-years later.
Sloan was instrumental in creating one of the most lethal one-two punches in NBA history in Hall-of-Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton. Stockton and Malone perfected the pick-and-roll offense that we see today and put it to use with devastating results. The offense was geared towards bringing out the best in both superstars as each ended their careers ranked in the top two for assists and scoring respectively.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and with teams running offenses based on basic flex principles to an extent it has become a part of the game, it is a testament to Sloan's genius and ability to stick to his principles irrespective of the way the league was trending toward. Jerry Sloan ended his career as a coach with the highest win percentage after winning 1221 games at .603 % to go along with 98 playoff wins and two NBA Finals appearances.
Sloan, like many others, had to run through the G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan to get to the promised land but was unfortunately unable to do so, earning him the title of greatest coach to never win a championship ring.
Guess the Lakers players!
