Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

For the first time in a decade, Gregg Popovich is no longer the NBA's longest-tenured head coach. The San Antonio Spurs coach, who had held the position since December 1996, stepped down last November due to a stroke and officially ended his coaching career this spring at age 76. Popovich retires as the NBA's all-time leader in regular season and overall wins, having been the league's oldest and longest-serving coach by over a decade.

The turnover among long-tenured coaches extends beyond Popovich. Four of the NBA's six longest-tenured head coaches from last summer have been replaced, including Michael Malone (Nuggets), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks), all dismissed in recent months. While the total number of coaching changes (six) isn't unusually high, the concentration at the top of the tenure list is notable.

Erik Spoelstra now tops the list of longest-tenured coaches, with a six-year lead over second-place Steve Kerr. The gap between Kerr and third-place Billy Donovan is larger than the gap between Donovan and the most recently hired coach. Spoelstra and Kerr are now the only NBA coaches with more than five years of tenure at their current teams, highlighting the lack of job security for head coaches.

The instability is further emphasized by the fact that over half of current NBA head coaches (16 of 30) have been in their positions for two years or less. This context makes franchises like the Timberwolves appear unusually stable, while teams like the Bulls (with Donovan at five years) face fan frustration over prolonged coaching tenures without greater success.