Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has reached 1,000 career wins in the NBA, joining an exclusive group of just 10 other coaches to achieve the milestone.
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle etched his name into NBA history with a win on Thursday night.
The 66-year-old coach joined the club of coaches with 1,000 regular-season wins after Indiana secured a 114–112 road victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Carlisle earned his 999th win back on December 9, but since then the Pacers had suffered a 13-game losing streak.
“It was never about my achievement,” Carlisle said modestly after the game. “It was all about our organization. As things got tougher and tougher, I started thinking more about gratitude for what we have. We have great people here and wonderful players.”
Carlisle became the 11th coach to reach four-digit win totals. Others to reach the 1,000-win milestone include Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley, George Karl, Doc Rivers, Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, and Rick Adelman.
“I know all the guys on that list very well,” the Pacers coach said. “I coached against them for many years and have immense respect for them.”
It took Carlisle 1,891 games to reach the milestone. Of his 1,000 wins, 555 came with the Dallas Mavericks, 345 with the Pacers, and the remaining 100 with the Detroit Pistons. Playoff wins are counted separately; in the postseason, Carlisle has an 86–87 record.
In 2002, Carlisle was named NBA Coach of the Year with the Pistons, and in 2011 he won an NBA championship with the Mavericks. He began his head coaching career in 2001.
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