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List of Oklahoma City Thunder head coaches

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exterior view Paycom Center
The Thunder play at the Paycom Center since the 2008–09 season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at the Paycom Center.[1] The Thunder is owned by Professional Basketball Club LLC with Sam Presti as its general manager. The team was formed in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics. After spending 41 seasons in Seattle, the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City. Owner Clay Bennett, who purchased the team in 2006, sought to get public funding for a new arena in Seattle, or a major renovation of the KeyArena in 2007. After failing to do so, he decided to move the team to Oklahoma City.[2] Seattle sued Bennett's group to enforce the lease that required the team to stay until 2010. The two sides reached a $45 million settlement to pay off the team's lease with KeyArena in July 2008.[3][4]

There have been 18 head coaches for the Thunder franchise. The franchise won its only NBA championship in the 1979 NBA Finals while coached by Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens is the only member of the franchise to have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[5] He is also the franchise's all-time leader in regular season games coached and won, playoff games coached and won. Wilkens, Paul Westphal, Nate McMillan and Bob Weiss formerly played for the team in Seattle.[6][7][8] Scott Brooks in 2009–10, and Mark Daigneault in 2023–24, are the only coaches to have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award with the franchise.[9]

Key

[edit]
GC Games coached
W Wins
L Losses
Win% Winning percentage
# Number of coaches
* Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the SuperSonics/Thunder
† Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach

Coaches

[edit]

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.

# Name Term GC W L Win% GC W L Win% Achievements Reference
Regular season Playoffs
Seattle SuperSonics
1 Al Bianchi 1967–1969 164 53 111 .323 0 0 0 – [10]
2 Lenny Wilkens† 1969–1972 (as player-coach) 246 121 125 .492 0 0 0 – One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[11] [5]
3 Tom Nissalke 1972–1973 45 13 32 .289 0 0 0 – [12]
4 Bucky Buckwalter 1973 37 13 24 .351 0 0 0 – [13]
5 Bill Russell† 1973–1977 328 162 166 .494 15 6 9 .400 [14]
6 Bob Hopkins* 1977 22 5 17 .227 0 0 0 – [15]
— Lenny Wilkens† 1977–1985 634 357 277 .563 69 37 32 .536 NBA championship (1979) [5]
7 Bernie Bickerstaff 1985–1990 410 202 208 .493 27 12 15 .444 [16]
8 K. C. Jones 1990–1992 118 59 59 .500 5 2 3 .400 [17]
9 Bob Kloppenburg 1992 4 2 2 .500 0 0 0 – [18]
10 George Karl† 1992–1998 534 384 150 .719 80 40 40 .500 [19]
11 Paul Westphal 1998–2000 147 76 71 .517 5 2 3 .400 [20]
12 Nate McMillan 2000–2005 395 212 183 .537 16 8 8 .500 [21]
13 Bob Weiss 2005–2006 30 13 17 .433 0 0 0 – [22]
14 Bob Hill 2006–2007 134 53 81 .396 0 0 0 – [23]
15 P. J. Carlesimo 2007–2008 82 20 62 .244 0 0 0 – [24]
Oklahoma City Thunder
— P. J. Carlesimo 2008 13 1 12 .077 0 0 0 – [24]
16 Scott Brooks 2008–2015 545 338 207 .620 73 39 34 .534 NBA Coach of the Year (2009–10)[9] [25]
17 Billy Donovan 2015–2020 400 243 157 .608 41 18 23 .439 [26]
18 Mark Daigneault 2020–present 236 143 175 .450 10 6 4 .600 NBA Coach of the Year (2023–24)
[edit]
  • Lenny Wilkens was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1969 to 1972 while as a player and from 1977 to 1985, and won an NBA championship in 1979.
    Lenny Wilkens was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1969 to 1972 while as a player and from 1977 to 1985, and won an NBA championship in 1979.
  • George Karl was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1991 to 1998, and led them to their third NBA Finals in 1996.
    George Karl was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1991 to 1998, and led them to their third NBA Finals in 1996.
  • Nate McMillan was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005.
    Nate McMillan was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005.
  • Scott Brooks was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008 to 2015, and led them to their first NBA Finals in 2012.
    Scott Brooks was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008 to 2015, and led them to their first NBA Finals in 2012.
  • Billy Donovan was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015 to 2020.
    Billy Donovan was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015 to 2020.

References

[edit]
General
  • "Oklahoma City Thunder Coach Register". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
Specific
  1. ^ "City Preparing Ford Center For NBA Team". KOCO Oklahoma City. Hearst Television Inc. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  2. ^ Johns, Greg (November 2, 2007). "Bennett says Sonics going to Oklahoma". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Seattle Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  3. ^ "SuperSonics, Seattle reach last-minute settlement". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  4. ^ "Sonics, city reach settlement". The Seattle Times. July 2, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  6. ^ "Lenny Wilkens Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  7. ^ "Nate McMillan Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  8. ^ "Bob Weiss Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  10. ^ "Al Bianchi Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  11. ^ "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
  12. ^ "Tom Nissalke Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  13. ^ "Bucky Buckwalter Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  14. ^ "Bill Russell Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  15. ^ "Bob Hopkins Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  16. ^ "Bernie Bickerstaff Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  17. ^ "K.C. Jones Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  18. ^ "Bob Kloppenburg Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  19. ^ "George Karl Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  20. ^ "Paul Westphal Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  21. ^ "Nate McMillan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  22. ^ "Bob Weiss Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  23. ^ "Bob Hill Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  24. ^ a b "P.J. Carlesimo Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  25. ^ "Scott Brooks Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  26. ^ "Billy Donovan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.

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