List of Sacramento Kings head coaches
Updated: 11/6/2025, 7:59:21 AM Wikipedia source
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was founded as the Rochester Royals by Lester Harrison and his brother Jack Harrison in Rochester, New York in 1945. The Royals won the National Basketball League (NBL) championship during their inaugural season by defeating the Sheboygan Red Skins 3–0. In 1948, the team joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which merged with the NBL to become the NBA a year later. The franchise won its first NBA championship in the 1951 NBA Finals under the coaching of Lester Harrison. The Harrison brothers moved the team to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1957 due to poor attendance. After spending 15 years in Cincinnati, the team was purchased by a group of businessmen from Kansas City, who moved the team to Kansas City and renamed it to the Kings in 1972. The team was briefly named the Kansas City-Omaha Kings from 1972 to 1975 when home games were split between two cities. In 1983, the franchise was bought by a Sacramento-based group, and in 1985, moved to Sacramento, becoming the Sacramento Kings. There have been 28 head coaches for the franchise since joining the NBA. Rick Adelman is the franchise's all-time leader in regular season games coached (624), regular season games won (395), playoff games coached (69), and playoff games won (34). Phil Johnson, Cotton Fitzsimmons, and Mike Brown have won NBA Coach of the Year with the Kings, in the 1974–75, 1978–79, and 2022–23 seasons respectively. Harrison, Bobby Wanzer, Ed Jucker, Bob Cousy, Draff Young, Jerry Reynolds, Reggie Theus, and Kenny Natt have spent their entire NBA head coaching careers with the Kings. Wanzer, Tom Marshall, Jack McMahon, Cousy, Larry Staverman, Adelman and Theus formerly played for the Kings. The Kings are currently owned by Vivek Ranadivé, with former Knicks General Manager Scott Perry as the general manager and Doug Christie as the head coach.
Tables
· Key
W
W
GC
W
Games coached
Wins
L
L
GC
L
Games coached
Losses
Win%
Win%
GC
Win%
Games coached
Winning percentage
#
#
GC
#
Games coached
Number of coaches .mw- [a]
| GC | Games coached |
| W | Wins |
| L | Losses |
| Win% | Winning percentage |
| # | Number of coaches [a] |
| Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Kings |
· Coaches
Playoffs
Playoffs
#
Regular season
Name
Playoffs
Les Harrison*
1948
1948–1955
Les Harrison*
#
1
Name
Les Harrison*
Term[b]
1948–1955
GC
476
W
296
L
181
Win%
620
GC
38
W
19
L
19
Win%
500
Achievements
1 Championship (1951)
Bobby Wanzer*
1955
1955–1957
1957–1958
Bobby Wanzer*
#
2
Name
Bobby Wanzer*
Term[b]
1955–1957 (as player-coach)1957–1958
GC
234
W
98
L
126
Win%
418
GC
2
W
0
L
2
Win%
000
Tom Marshall
1958
1958–1959
1959–1960
Tom Marshall
#
3
Name
Tom Marshall
Term[b]
1958–1959 (as player-coach)1959–1960
GC
129
W
35
L
94
Win%
271
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Charles Wolf
1960
1960–1963
Charles Wolf
#
4
Name
Charles Wolf
Term[b]
1960–1963
GC
239
W
118
L
121
Win%
494
GC
16
W
7
L
9
Win%
438
Jack McMahon
1963
1963–1967
Jack McMahon
#
5
Name
Jack McMahon
Term[b]
1963–1967
GC
321
W
187
L
134
Win%
583
GC
23
W
8
L
15
Win%
348
Ed Jucker*
1967
1967–1969
Ed Jucker*
#
6
Name
Ed Jucker*
Term[b]
1967–1969
GC
164
W
80
L
84
Win%
488
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Bob Cousy*
1969
1969–1970
1970–1973
Bob Cousy*
#
7
Name
Bob Cousy*
Term[b]
1969–1970 (as player-coach)1970–1973
GC
350
W
141
L
209
Win%
403
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Draff Young*
Draff Young*
#
8
Name
Draff Young*
Term[b]
1973
GC
3
W
0
L
3
Win%
000
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Phil Johnson
1973
1973–1978
Phil Johnson
#
9
Name
Phil Johnson
Term[b]
1973–1978
GC
340
W
155
L
185
Win%
456
GC
6
W
2
L
4
Win%
333
Achievements
1974–75 NBA Coach of the Year
Larry Staverman
Larry Staverman
#
10
Name
Larry Staverman
Term[b]
1978
GC
45
W
18
L
27
Win%
400
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Cotton Fitzsimmons
1978
1978–1984
Cotton Fitzsimmons
#
11
Name
Cotton Fitzsimmons
Term[b]
1978–1984
GC
492
W
248
L
244
Win%
504
GC
26
W
9
L
17
Win%
346
Achievements
1978–79 NBA Coach of the Year
Jack McKinney
Jack McKinney
#
12
Name
Jack McKinney
Term[b]
1984
GC
9
W
1
L
8
Win%
111
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Phil Johnson
1984
1984–1987
Phil Johnson
#
—
Name
Phil Johnson
Term[b]
1984–1987
GC
201
W
81
L
120
Win%
403
GC
3
W
0
L
3
Win%
000
Jerry Reynolds*
Jerry Reynolds*
#
13
Name
Jerry Reynolds*
Term[b]
1987
GC
60
W
22
L
38
Win%
367
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Bill Russell
1987
1987–1988
Bill Russell
#
14
Name
Bill Russell
Term[b]
1987–1988
GC
58
W
17
L
41
Win%
293
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Jerry Reynolds*
1988
1988–1990
Jerry Reynolds*
#
—
Name
Jerry Reynolds*
Term[b]
1988–1990
GC
110
W
34
L
76
Win%
309
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Dick Motta
1990
1990–1991
Dick Motta
#
15
Name
Dick Motta
Term[b]
1990–1991
GC
161
W
48
L
113
Win%
298
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Rex Hughes
1991
1991–1992
Rex Hughes
#
16
Name
Rex Hughes
Term[b]
1991–1992
GC
57
W
22
L
35
Win%
386
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Garry St. Jean
1992
1992–1997
Garry St. Jean
#
17
Name
Garry St. Jean
Term[b]
1992–1997
GC
395
W
159
L
236
Win%
403
GC
4
W
1
L
3
Win%
250
Eddie Jordan
1997
1997–1998
Eddie Jordan
#
18
Name
Eddie Jordan
Term[b]
1997–1998
GC
97
W
33
L
64
Win%
340
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Rick Adelman†
1998
1998–2006
Rick Adelman†
#
19
Name
Rick Adelman†
Term[b]
1998–2006
GC
624
W
395
L
229
Win%
633
GC
69
W
34
L
35
Win%
493
Eric Musselman
2006
2006–2007
Eric Musselman
#
20
Name
Eric Musselman
Term[b]
2006–2007
GC
82
W
33
L
49
Win%
402
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Reggie Theus*
2007
2007–2008
Reggie Theus*
#
21
Name
Reggie Theus*
Term[b]
2007–2008
GC
106
W
44
L
62
Win%
415
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Kenny Natt*
2008
2008–2009
Kenny Natt*
#
22
Name
Kenny Natt*
Term[b]
2008–2009
GC
58
W
11
L
47
Win%
190
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Paul Westphal
2009
2009–2012
Paul Westphal
#
23
Name
Paul Westphal
Term[b]
2009–2012
GC
171
W
51
L
120
Win%
298
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Keith Smart
2012
2012–2013
Keith Smart
#
24
Name
Keith Smart
Term[b]
2012–2013
GC
141
W
48
L
93
Win%
340
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Michael Malone
2013
2013–2014
Michael Malone
#
25
Name
Michael Malone
Term[b]
2013–2014
GC
106
W
39
L
67
Win%
368
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Tyrone Corbin
2014
2014–2015
Tyrone Corbin
#
26
Name
Tyrone Corbin
Term[b]
2014–2015
GC
28
W
7
L
21
Win%
250
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
George Karl†
2015
2015–2016
George Karl†
#
27
Name
George Karl†
Term[b]
2015–2016
GC
112
W
44
L
68
Win%
393
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Dave Joerger
2016
2016–2019
Dave Joerger
#
28
Name
Dave Joerger
Term[b]
2016–2019
GC
246
W
98
L
148
Win%
398
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Luke Walton
2019
2019–2021
Luke Walton
#
29
Name
Luke Walton
Term[b]
2019–2021
GC
161
W
68
L
93
Win%
422
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Alvin Gentry
2021
2021–2022
Alvin Gentry
#
30
Name
Alvin Gentry
Term[b]
2021–2022
GC
65
W
24
L
41
Win%
369
GC
—
W
—
L
—
Win%
—
Mike Brown
2022
2022–2024
Mike Brown
#
31
Name
Mike Brown
Term[b]
2022–2024
GC
195
W
107
L
88
Win%
549
GC
7
W
3
L
4
Win%
429
Achievements
2022–23 NBA Coach of the Year
Doug Christie
Doug Christie
#
32
Name
Doug Christie
Term[b]
2024–present
GC
51
W
27
L
24
Win%
529
GC
0
W
0
L
0
Win%
–
| # | Name | Term[b] | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements | Reference |
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
| 1 | Les Harrison* | 1948–1955 | 476 | 296 | 181 | 620 | 38 | 19 | 19 | 500 | 1 Championship (1951) | |
| 2 | Bobby Wanzer* | 1955–1957 (as player-coach)1957–1958 | 234 | 98 | 126 | 418 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 000 | ||
| 3 | Tom Marshall | 1958–1959 (as player-coach)1959–1960 | 129 | 35 | 94 | 271 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 4 | Charles Wolf | 1960–1963 | 239 | 118 | 121 | 494 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 438 | ||
| 5 | Jack McMahon | 1963–1967 | 321 | 187 | 134 | 583 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 348 | ||
| 6 | Ed Jucker* | 1967–1969 | 164 | 80 | 84 | 488 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 7 | Bob Cousy* | 1969–1970 (as player-coach)1970–1973 | 350 | 141 | 209 | 403 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 8 | Draff Young* | 1973 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 000 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 9 | Phil Johnson | 1973–1978 | 340 | 155 | 185 | 456 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 333 | 1974–75 NBA Coach of the Year | |
| 10 | Larry Staverman | 1978 | 45 | 18 | 27 | 400 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 11 | Cotton Fitzsimmons | 1978–1984 | 492 | 248 | 244 | 504 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 346 | 1978–79 NBA Coach of the Year | |
| 12 | Jack McKinney | 1984 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 111 | — | — | — | — | ||
| — | Phil Johnson | 1984–1987 | 201 | 81 | 120 | 403 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 000 | ||
| 13 | Jerry Reynolds* | 1987 | 60 | 22 | 38 | 367 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 14 | Bill Russell | 1987–1988 | 58 | 17 | 41 | 293 | — | — | — | — | ||
| — | Jerry Reynolds* | 1988–1990 | 110 | 34 | 76 | 309 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 15 | Dick Motta | 1990–1991 | 161 | 48 | 113 | 298 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 16 | Rex Hughes | 1991–1992 | 57 | 22 | 35 | 386 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 17 | Garry St. Jean | 1992–1997 | 395 | 159 | 236 | 403 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 250 | ||
| 18 | Eddie Jordan | 1997–1998 | 97 | 33 | 64 | 340 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 19 | Rick Adelman† | 1998–2006 | 624 | 395 | 229 | 633 | 69 | 34 | 35 | 493 | ||
| 20 | Eric Musselman | 2006–2007 | 82 | 33 | 49 | 402 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 21 | Reggie Theus* | 2007–2008 | 106 | 44 | 62 | 415 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 22 | Kenny Natt* | 2008–2009 | 58 | 11 | 47 | 190 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 23 | Paul Westphal | 2009–2012 | 171 | 51 | 120 | 298 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 24 | Keith Smart | 2012–2013 | 141 | 48 | 93 | 340 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 25 | Michael Malone | 2013–2014 | 106 | 39 | 67 | 368 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 26 | Tyrone Corbin | 2014–2015 | 28 | 7 | 21 | 250 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 27 | George Karl† | 2015–2016 | 112 | 44 | 68 | 393 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 28 | Dave Joerger | 2016–2019 | 246 | 98 | 148 | 398 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 29 | Luke Walton | 2019–2021 | 161 | 68 | 93 | 422 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 30 | Alvin Gentry | 2021–2022 | 65 | 24 | 41 | 369 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 31 | Mike Brown | 2022–2024 | 195 | 107 | 88 | 549 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 429 | 2022–23 NBA Coach of the Year | |
| 32 | Doug Christie | 2024–present | 51 | 27 | 24 | 529 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
References
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