Active NBA Coaches With Most Career Playoff Wins

Who among today’s active NBA coaches have the most career playoff wins? Find out below!

Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra


John Wooden, the late great UCLA coach, once argued that there is a difference between winning and succeeding. You win for the sake of your reputation while you succeed in order to attain peace of mind through self-satisfaction. It’s such a relative ideology.

However, as a part of being successful, you must be able to snag some wins in your life, especially where winning seriously counts.

The NBA postseason is the beacon of opportunity for the league’s top superstars. This is also where high-level coaches showcase their basketball brilliance. Unlike players, they don’t have very intricate stat categories. Just a simple, win-loss column is enough to show if a certain coach is successful in his career.

Let’s take a look at the active NBA coaches with the most number of playoffs wins in their column.


8. Scott Brooks (WAS) – 49 playoff wins

He was an undrafted point guard who became a journeyman during his playing years. Brooks won an NBA championship in 1994 with the Houston Rockets.

After wrapping his playing career, he then transitioned to being an assistant coach to several teams. In 2008, Brooks was named as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In his seven-year span as head coach of the team, Oklahoma City seriously contended year after year. He led the team to its first and only Finals appearance in 2012, together with three young and soon-to-be-MVPs in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.

They fell short against the Miami Heat and were not able to get back. After parting ways with OKC in 2015, he was signed by the Washington Wizards. Brooks was successful in replicating his success in OKC with the Wizards. The team appeared in the playoffs three times in the past five years.

7. Frank Vogel (LAL) – 49 Playoff Wins

This New Jersey native first started his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. After being an assistant for two more teams, Vogel was asked to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2011.

The Pacers became a good contender in the East, and the team even made it to Eastern Conference Finals in 2013. Indiana missed only one playoff appearance during Vogel’s time as their head coach.

Vogel also had a short stint as the Orlando Magic’s head coach but was fired after two seasons. He moved to the Western Conference in 2019 and got the job as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won the NBA championship in his first year with the team.

Vogel is well-known for his well-established defensive support to his scoring core. From the likes of Paul George and Lance Stephenson to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he tends to build defensive walls around his juggernauts.

Share this on:

More articles

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *