List of Washington Wizards head coaches

The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. They are a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team plays its home games at the Capital One Arena (formerly the MCI Center and the Verizon Center). The franchise was established in Chicago, Illinois as the Chicago Packers in 1961; after one season, its name was changed to the Chicago Zephyrs. In 1963, the franchise moved to Baltimore, Maryland and was renamed the Baltimore Bullets. It moved to Landover, Maryland in 1973 and changed its name to the Capital Bullets. After one season, the team became the Washington Bullets. In 1978, the Bullets won the 1978 NBA Finals in seven games for the franchise's only championship. In 1997, the team became the Washington Wizards, which is the team's current name. Since their formation, the Wizards have won six divisional championships, four conference championships, one league championship and have appeared in the playoffs twenty-three times.[1][2][3]

There have been 24 head coaches for the Wizards franchise. The franchise's first coach was Jim Pollard, who led the team for one season.[4] Dick Motta is the only Wizards coach to have led the team to a championship; the team won the 1978 NBA Finals as the Washington Bullets during his tenure.[5] Gene Shue is the only Wizards coach to have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award; he won it twice, in 1969 and 1982.[6] No Wizards coach has been elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, but four have been elected into the Hall of Fame as a player: Jim Pollard, Buddy Jeannette, K. C. Jones and Wes Unseld.[4][7][8][9] Shue is the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season games coached (1027) and wins (522); Jones is the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season winning percentage (.630).[8] Dick Motta is the franchise's all-time leader in playoff games coached (51) and wins (27), as well as playoff-game winning percentage (.529).[5] Five Wizards coaches have spent their entire NBA head coaching career with the team: Mike Farmer, Bob Staak, Jim Brovelli, Leonard Hamilton and Ed Tapscott.[10][11][12][13][14] The team's current head coach is Brian Keefe.

## Key

[edit]

GC | Games coached

|

W | Wins
L | Losses
Win% | Winning percentage
# | Number of coaches[a]
*  | Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Packers/Zephyrs/Bullets/Wizards

## Coaches

[edit]

#  | Name  | Term[b] | GC  | W  | L  | Win%  | GC  | W  | L  | Win%  | Achievements  | Reference

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Regular season  | Playoffs
1  | Jim Pollard | 1961–1962 | 80  | 18  | 62  | .359  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [4]
2  | Jack McMahon | 1962 | 38  | 12  | 26  | .316  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [15]
3  | Bobby Leonard | 1962–1964 (as player-coach)  | 122  | 44  | 78  | .361  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [16]
4  | Buddy Jeannette | 1964–1965 | 80  | 37  | 43  | .463  | 10  | 5  | 5  | .500  |  | [7]
5  | Paul Seymour | 1965–1966 | 80  | 38  | 42  | .475  | 3  | 0  | 3  | .000  |  | [17]
6  | Mike Farmer*  | 1966 (interim)  | 9  | 1  | 8  | .111  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [10]
—  | Buddy Jeannette | 1966 (interim)  | 16  | 3  | 13  | .188  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [7]
7  | Gene Shue | 1966–1973 | 548  | 291  | 257  | .531  | 40  | 14  | 26  | .350  | 1968–69 NBA Coach of the Year[6] | [18]
8  | K. C. Jones | 1973–1976 | 246  | 155  | 91  | .630  | 31  | 14  | 17  | .452  |  | [8]
9  | Dick Motta | 1976–1980 | 328  | 185  | 143  | .564  | 51  | 27  | 24  | .529  | NBA Championship (1978)[19] | [5]
—  | Gene Shue | 1980–1986 | 479  | 231  | 248  | .482  | 15  | 5  | 10  | .333  | 1981–82 NBA Coach of the Year[6] | [18]
10  | Kevin Loughery | 1986–1988 | 122  | 57  | 65  | .467  | 8  | 2  | 6  | .250  |  | [20]
11  | Wes Unseld | 1988–1994 | 547  | 202  | 345  | .369  | 5  | 2  | 3  | .400  |  | [9]
12  | Jim Lynam | 1994–1997 | 210  | 82  | 128  | .390  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [21]
13  | Bob Staak*  | 1997 (interim)  | 1  | 0  | 1  | .000  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [11]
14  | Bernie Bickerstaff | 1997–1999 | 149  | 77  | 72  | .517  | 3  | 0  | 3  | .000  |  | [22]
15  | Jim Brovelli*  | 1999 (interim)  | 18  | 5  | 13  | .278  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [12]
16  | Gar Heard | 1999–2000 | 44  | 14  | 30  | .318  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [23]
17  | Darrell Walker | 2000 (interim)  | 38  | 15  | 23  | .395  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [24]
18  | Leonard Hamilton*  | 2000–2001 | 82  | 19  | 63  | .232  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [13]
19  | Doug Collins | 2001–2003 | 164  | 74  | 90  | .451  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [25]
20  | Eddie Jordan | 2003–2008 | 421  | 197  | 224  | .468  | 26  | 8  | 18  | .308  |  | [26]
21  | Ed Tapscott*  | 2008–2009 (interim)  | 71  | 18  | 53  | .254  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [14]
22  | Flip Saunders | 2009–2012 | 181  | 51  | 130  | .282  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [27]
23  | Randy Wittman | 2012–2016 | 377  | 178  | 199  | .472  | 21  | 12  | 9  | .571  |  | [28]
24  | Scott Brooks | 2016–2021 | 390  | 183  | 207  | .469  | 24  | 10  | 14  | .417  |  | [29]
25  | Wes Unseld Jr.*  | 2021–2024 | 207  | 77  | 130  | .372  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  | [30]
26  | Brian Keefe | 2024–present  | 121  | 26  | 95  | .215  | —  | —  | —  | —  |  |

* Doug Collins coached the Wizards for two seasons from 2001 to 2003.

* Eddie Jordan was the head coach for the Wizards from 2003 to 2008.

* Randy Wittman was the head coach for the Wizards from 2012 to 2016.

* Scott Brooks was the head coach for the Wizards from 2016 to 2021.

* Wes Unseld Jr. was the head coach for the Wizards from 2021 to 2024.

## Notes

[edit]

* a A running total of the number of coaches of the franchise. Thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is only counted once.
* b Each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.

## References

[edit]

General

* "Washington Wizards Coach Register". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.

Specific

1. ^ "Washington Wizards History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
2. ^ "Washington Wizards History". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
3. ^ "Washington Wizards (1963-Present)". SportsEncyclopedia.com. MMVIII Tank Productions. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
4. ^ a b c "Jim Pollard Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
5. ^ a b c "Dick Motta Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
6. ^ a b c "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
7. ^ a b c "Buddy Jeannette Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
8. ^ a b c "K. C. Jones Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
9. ^ a b "Wes Unseld Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
10. ^ a b "Mike Farmer Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
11. ^ a b "Bob Staak Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
12. ^ a b "Jim Brovelli Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
13. ^ a b "Leonard Hamilton Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
14. ^ a b "Ed Tapscott Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
15. ^ "Jack McMahon Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
16. ^ "Slick Leonard Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
17. ^ "Paul Seymour Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
18. ^ a b "Gene Shue Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
19. ^ "NBA Finals: All-Time Champions". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
20. ^ "Kevin Loughery Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
21. ^ "Jim Lynam Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
22. ^ "Bernie Bickerstaff Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
23. ^ "Gar Heard Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
24. ^ "Darrell Walker Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
25. ^ "Doug Collins Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
26. ^ "Eddie Jordan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
27. ^ "Flip Saunders Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
28. ^ "Randy Wittman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
29. ^ "Scott Brooks Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
30. ^ "Wes Unseld Jr. Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2024.

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Washington Wizards head coaches

* Jim Pollard (1961–1962)
* Jack McMahon (1962)
* Bobby Leonard (1962–1964)
* Buddy Jeannette (1964–1965)
* Paul Seymour (1965–1966)
* Mike Farmer (1966)
* Buddy Jeannette # (1966)
* Gene Shue (1966–1973)
* K. C. Jones (1973–1976)
* Dick Motta (1976–1980)
* Gene Shue (1980–1986)
* Kevin Loughery (1986–1988)
* Wes Unseld (1988–1994)
* Jim Lynam (1994–1997)
* Bob Staak # (1997)
* Bernie Bickerstaff (1997–1999)
* Jim Brovelli # (1999)
* Gar Heard (1999–2000)
* Darrell Walker # (2000)
* Leonard Hamilton (2000–2001)
* Doug Collins (2001–2003)
* Eddie Jordan (2003–2008)
* Ed Tapscott (2008–2009)
* Flip Saunders (2009–2012)
* Randy Wittman (2012–2016)
* Scott Brooks (2016–2021)
* Wes Unseld Jr. (2021–2024)
* Brian Keefe (2024–present)

# denotes interim head coach

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Washington Wizards

* Founded in 1961
* Formerly the Chicago Packers (1961–1962), Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), Capital Bullets (1973–1974), and Washington Bullets (1974–1997)
* Based in Washington, D.C.

Franchise|

* All-time roster
* Draft history
* 1961
* Head coaches
* Seasons
* current

Arenas|

* International Amphitheatre
* Chicago Coliseum
* Baltimore Civic Center
* Cole Field House
* Capital Centre/US Airways Arena
* Capital One Arena

Personnel|

Owner
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Ted Leonsis)
President
Michael Winger
General manager
Will Dawkins
Head coach
Brian Keefe

G League affiliate|

* Capital City Go-Go

Retired numbers|

* 10
* 11
* 25
* 41
* 45

NBA championships|

* 1978

Culture and lore|

* Wes Unseld
* 1975 championship upset
* The Big E
* Abe Pollin
* Earl the Pearl
* Agent Zero
* Robin Ficker

Media|

* Monumental Sports Network

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
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NBA head coaches

Eastern
Conference|

| Atlantic|

* Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics)
* Jordi Fernández (Brooklyn Nets)
* Tom Thibodeau (New York Knicks)
* Nick Nurse (Philadelphia 76ers)
* Darko Rajaković (Toronto Raptors)

|

Central|

* Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)
* Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
* J. B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons)
* Rick Carlisle (Indiana Pacers)
* Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks)

Southeast|

* Quin Snyder (Atlanta Hawks)
* Charles Lee (Charlotte Hornets)
* Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat)
* Jamahl Mosley (Orlando Magic)
* Brian Keefe (Washington Wizards)

Western
Conference|

| Northwest|

* David Adelman (Denver Nuggets)
* Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves)
* Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder)
* Chauncey Billups (Portland Trail Blazers)
* Will Hardy (Utah Jazz)

|

Pacific|

* Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)
* Tyronn Lue (Los Angeles Clippers)
* JJ Redick (Los Angeles Lakers)
* Vacant (Phoenix Suns)
* Doug Christie (Sacramento Kings)

Southwest|

* Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
* Ime Udoka (Houston Rockets)
* Tuomas Iisalo (Memphis Grizzlies)
* Willie Green (New Orleans Pelicans)
* Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

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