The worst NBA head coaches of all-time are a diverse bunch. Some stuck around for years while others barely enjoyed a cup of coffee. There are former players and basketball coaching lifers. Certain names will bring back horrible memories for fans of select franchises.
There is one thing everyone on this list of the worst NBA head coaches of all-time has in common: losses. Of course, we use a number of different factors to put together our final rankings since volume alone doesn’t tell the whole story. You can call this the Lenny Wilkens rule.
It is important to factor in things like winning percentage, circumstances and general embarrassment. With that out of the way, here is our list of the worst NBA head coaches of all-time.
More NBA: 5 things you may not remember about brothers in the NBA
The nine worst NBA head coaches of all-time
John Beilein
John Beilein was a college coach in his mid-60s taking an NBA job for the first time in his career. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything, for starters. The former Michigan man went 14-40 before stepping down midway through the 2019-20 season. Beilein was in way over his head, clashing with players in his short stint at the helm.
The Musselman Family
Peers say a lot of nice words about Bill Musselman as a person, but he was a mess as an NBA head coach. Even in the 1980s, a time when Bobby Knight was tossing chairs, people were like that Musselman is kind of a hothead. His first year with the Cleveland Cavaliers saw him reassigned to the role of director of player personnel during the season.
He did get another crack at coaching in Cleveland the following season after they fired Chuck Daly but would resign at the end of that campaign. The elder Musselman also coached the Minnesota Timberwolves in the franchise’s first two seasons with the results being as bad as you’d expect.
Bill’s son, Eric Musselman, has proven to be an excellent college coach. However, his pro career was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Garry St. Jean, a name who comes up later in the article, hired him to coach the Golden State Warriors. The team overachieved but still finished under .500. The future conductor of the Muss Buss also coached the Sacramento Kings for a season as the Maloof Brothers begin cycling through coaches.
Wes Unseld
It’s safe to say Wes Unseld built up a lot of goodwill with the Washington Bullets fanbase during his playing career. Of course, bringing a franchise its one and only championship does that. However, the Hall of Famer used it all up and then some during his time as head coach.
In fairness, he did okay after taking over from Kevin Loughery during the 1987-88 season, managing to get the team into the playoffs. The next seasons under Unseld got progressively worse. His teams never finished above .500 and he was relieved of his duties after the 1993-94 season with a record of 202-345.
For some apparent reason, Washington would hire Unseld as general manager less than two years later. The results were equally as unsuccessful.
George Mikan
George Mikan’s post-playing career wasn’t going great after he called it quits upon the conclusion of the 1953–54 season. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress, couldn’t land any gigs in his chosen profession of law and had a fairly disappointing return to the court in 1956.
Things didn’t get any better when Mikan was cajoled into taking charge of the Minneapolis Lakers before the 1957–58 NBA season. He lasted 39 games, posting a 9-30 record which is the worst winning percentage in franchise history. Yes, even lower than Byron Scott.
There was some good news for Mikan as people pretty much forgot about his coaching stint immediately. The famed big man was named as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1959.
Brian Winters
As a player, Brian Winters was a two-time NBA All-Star and his number was actually retired by the Milwaukee Bucks. Michael Jordan even called him the best pure shooter in history. As a coach, well, let’s just say no one will retire his suit jacket and tie.
Look, Winters was dealt a bad hand being tasked to lead the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies. He lasted a season and a half, posting a 23-102 record, the worst winning percentage for a head coach who worked more than 100 games. An interim stint with the Golden State Warriors in 2001-02 went a little better, although 13-46 was hardly anything to write home about.
Garry St. Jean
How Garry St. Jean hung on for nearly five seasons as head coach of the Sacramento Kings is baffling. At no point during his tenure did he ever appear to be a competent leader. Sure, he wasn’t blessed with the strongest roster. However, many of his decisions were akin to basketball clinical malpractice.
For example, playing Michael “The Animal” Smith alongside either Olden Polynice or Duane Causwell was dumb even by 1990s NBA standards. St. Jean was also prone to having these wild fits of anger on the sideline. But he would seemingly be pissed about things that came as no surprise to anyone else. Bobby Hurley and Tynus Edney couldn’t shoot, but GSJ was constantly confounded by this reality.
After being fired by Sacramento midway through the 1996-97 season with .400 career winning percentage, the Warriors inexplicably hired St. Jean to be their general manager in 1998.
Also Interesting: The Sacramento Kings named their arena after a scam
Derek Fisher
Everyone just assumed Derek Fisher was going to be this great head coach. He literally walked off the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder and into the New York Knicks top job ahead of the 2014-15 season. It’s safe to say dude did not live up to the hype.
Knicks fans would like to forget his abysmal 40-96 record. However, no one will forget the time he got into a fight with Matt Barnes over the latter’s ex-wife. An active player and active head coach in a love triangle? It’s a wonder Fisher wasn’t fired sooner.
Eddie Donovan
Between 1961 and 1965, Eddie Donovan led the New York Knicks to a record of 84-194. But that only tells half the story. He couldn’t get the team into the playoffs despite the fact three of the four Eastern Conference teams made it back then. Oh, he was also coaching the Knicks when Wilt Chamberlain put up 100 points on them.
Related: Wilt, Giannis and the 6 worst free throw shooting games in NBA history
Tim Floyd
As a former Idaho Vandals head coach, it pains me to place Tim Floyd on this list. But he was awful in the NBA. The post-Michael Jordan Bulls were a mess, but much of that was Floyd’s own doing. He was fighting with players and management at various points of his tenure. Even more baffling was the fact he received a second chance in the league after going 49-190 with Chicago. It’s safe to say nobody understood the logic behind this.
Floyd’s lone season with the New Orleans Hornets was decent as he finished .500 and got the team into the playoffs. However, ownership hired him to make a deep postseason run. Apparently, the people who employed him didn’t bother checking his resume which would have shown a coach known for losing.
More Basketball: The one play that embodies everything people hate about the NBA
