Doc Rivers, Orlando Magic, 1999
Career record: 1,114-782, 20 playoff appearances in 25 seasons
Like Redick, Rivers spent three years as a broadcaster before jumping into coaching, and he is probably the most encouraging example the Lakers could realistically point to.
Rivers won NBA Coach of the Year in his rookie season after leading the Magic to a 41-41 record, well above expectations after the team traded away the remnants of a core that reached the Finals. He got them back into the playoffs the next season, thanks to the additions of Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill. They allegedly also had a shot at Tim Duncan, whom Rivers insists didn’t opt to stay with the San Antonio Spurs due to Rivers’ strict rules about family members on team planes.
Duncan’s free agency remains one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history and loomed over the rest of Rivers’ five-season tenure in Orlando. Rivers has since become a fixture in NBA head coaching ranks for two-and-a-half decades, winning the 2008 championship with the Boston Celtics and also coaching the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Success? Depends on whether the Tim Duncan story is real. But in all seriousness, yes, the Magic clearly found an NBA-caliber head coach.
Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers, 1994
Career record: 5-11, zero playoff appearances in one season
Best playoff result: None
We’ll keep this one short, like Johnson’s coaching career. In between retirements, Johnson was pushed by Lakers owner Jerry Buss to give coaching a try during the Lakers’ worst season in nearly two decades. It didn’t go well and Johnson quit at the end of the season after coaching 16 games.
He’s cautiously optimistic about Redick, though.
I’m cautiously optimistic that this new hire is a success for both the Lakers and JJ Reddick. I enjoyed watching him as a player – great 3-point shooting, high basketball IQ, passion for the game, and mental and physical toughness. If he can bring how he played professionally to…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 20, 2024
Success? No, but little was lost.
Quinn Buckner, Dallas Mavericks, 1993
Record: 13-69, zero playoff appearances in one season
Best playoff result: None
A national champion in college with Indiana and an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, Buckner spent several post-retirement years as a broadcaster before the Mavericks decided to see if his past success would rub off on them.
It didn’t.
Instead, what they got was a guy doing his best Bobby Knight impression, but without the other stuff that made the Indiana legend a success. The words “reign of terror” were used to describe Buckner’s coaching style as he led the team to a 1-23 start, and he was ultimately fired after Mavericks owner Don Carter admitted “too many bridges were burnt.” This was after one season.
Success? The worst hire on this list, which is saying something.
Dan Issel, Denver Nuggets, 1992
Record: 180-208, one playoff appearance in six seasons
Best playoff result: Western Conference semifinals
Like others, Issel took the route of player-to-broadcaster-to-head coach. He took over a team that Paul Westhead ran into the ground and extracted a playoff berth after two seasons. There, the Nuggets became the first No. 8 seed in NBA history to eliminate a No. 1 seed, when they stunned the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994.
Internal clashing led to Issel’s resignation at midseason the next year, but he returned in 1990 as both head coach and general manager. That tenure went badly and ended worse, as Issel was caught on live TV yelling, “Go drink another beer, you Mexican piece of s***!” at a fan. He was suspended and eventually resigned amid calls for his firing.
Success? Not really, he led his team to one good series, and little else.
Paul Silas, San Diego Clippers, 1980
Record: 387-488, four playoff appearances in 12 seasons
Best playoff result: Eastern Conference semifinals
Silas’ first tenure as head coach didn’t work out, but he ended up having a pretty respectable career. He wasted little time going from playing for the SuperSonics to coaching the San Diego Clippers.
Bill Walton was theoretically the team’s star, but he didn’t play a game in Silas’ first two seasons with the Clippers. Silas was ultimately fired after a miserable three years and returned to the head coaching ranks 12 years later, when he coached the Charlotte Hornets to the playoffs.
After his surprise firing, he was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was the first NBA coach of a teenager named LeBron James.
Success? Definitely not for the Clippers.
Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, 1966
Record: 341-290, five playoff appearances in eight seasons
Best playoff result: Won two NBA Finals
Russell became player-coach after the retirement of the legendary Red Auerbach and, in the process, the first Black head coach in major American sports history.
With Russell playing and the rest of the Celtics machine, he also became the first Black head coach to win a championship, though the team did break its streak of eight straight championships in his first season at the helm.
After retiring as a player with his 11th ring in 1969, Russell gave coaching another shot with the SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings, but never came close to his success in Boston.
Success? It’s Bill Russell.
Rookie coaches who previously worked in front offices
- Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors, 2014 (previously Phoenix Suns general manager)
Record: 519-274
Best playoff result: Won four NBA Finals - Vinny Del Negro, Chicago Bulls, 2008 (previously Phoenix Suns assistant general manager)
Record: 210-184
Best playoff result: Western Conference semifinals - Kevin McHale, Minnesota Timberwolves, 2005 (previously Minnesota Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations)
Record: 232-185
Best playoff result: Western Conference semifinals - Isiah Thomas, Indiana Pacers, 2000 (previously Toronto Raptors executive vice president)
Record: 187-223
Best playoff result: First round - Larry Bird, Indiana Pacers, 1997 (previously special assistant to front office for Boston Celtics)
Record: 147-67
Best playoff result: Made 2000 NBA Finals - M.L. Carr, Boston Celtics, 1995 (previously Celtics general manager)
Record: 48-116
Best playoff result: None