For the first time since we began taking an annual look at the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches a decade ago, Gregg Popovich‘s name doesn’t sit atop the list.
The longtime Spurs head coach had been on the sidelines in San Antonio for nearly three decades, having taken over coaching duties in December 1996. However, he gave way to assistant Mitch Johnson last November after suffering a stroke and then announced this spring that he had decided to end his coaching career at age 76.
Popovich retires from NBA coaching as the league’s all-time leader in regular season wins (1,390) and overall victories (1,560). He was also the oldest coach in league history and was the NBA’s longest-tenured coach by over a decade.
The shake-up at the top of our list starts with Popovich, but definitely doesn’t end there. In total, four of the NBA’s six longest-tenured head coaches have been replaced since we checked in last summer, with Michael Malone of the Nuggets (June 2015), Taylor Jenkins of the Grizzlies (June 2019), and Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks (July 2020) having been dismissed by their respective teams in recent months.
While the total number of coaching changes in the past year – six – isn’t abnormally high, it’s unusual for us to be removing so many names at the top of our list.
With all that in mind, here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:
Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 2020
Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 2020
Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers: June 27, 2021
Jason Kidd, Mavericks: June 28, 2021
Jamahl Mosley, Magic: July 11, 2021
Willie Green, Pelicans: July 22, 2021
Will Hardy, Jazz: June 2022
Joe Mazzulla, Celtics: September 2022
Mazzulla became the Celtics’ interim head coach in September 2022 and was named the permanent head coach in February 2023.
Quin Snyder, Hawks: February 2023
Ime Udoka, Rockets: April 2023
Nick Nurse, Sixers: June 1, 2023
Darko Rajakovic, Raptors: June 13, 2023
Brian Keefe, Wizards: January 25, 2024
Keefe became the Wizards’ interim head coach in January 2024 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2024.
Doc Rivers, Bucks: January 26, 2024
Jordi Fernandez, Nets: April 2024
Charles Lee, Hornets: May 2024
J.J. Redick, Lakers: June 24, 2024
Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers: June 28, 2024
J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons: July 2024
Mitch Johnson, Spurs: November 2024
Johnson took over as the Spurs’ acting head coach in November 2024 after Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke; he was named the permanent head coach in May 2025 when Popovich stepped down from the position.
Doug Christie, Kings: December 2024
Christie became the Kings’ interim head coach in December 2024 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2025.
Tuomas Iisalo, Grizzlies: March 2025
Iisalo became the Grizzlies’ interim head coach in March 2025 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2025.
David Adelman, Nuggets: April 2025
Adelman became the Nuggets’ interim head coach in April 2025 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2025.
Jordan Ott, Suns: June 2025
Mike Brown, Knicks: July 2025
Spoelstra is the new name at the top of the list of longest-tenured coaches, with a comfortable six-year margin between him and second-place Kerr. Incredibly, the gap of six-plus years between Kerr and third-place Donovan is larger than the gap five years between Donovan and Brown, the head coach most recently hired.
In other words, Spoelstra and Kerr are now the only coaches in the NBA who have been with their respective teams for longer than five years, which is a testament to just how difficult it is for a head coach to stick in one place.