- Lenny Wilkens is the NBA coach who has the most losses.
- Wilkens lost 1,155 games.
- Wilkens is recognized by the NBA as a top 10 and 15 coach of all time.
Coaches are brought in to help their teams win, thus improving their championship basketball odds at a sportsbook.
While those coaches win a lot of games, they also pile on a lot of losses no matter how short the teams’ championship NBA odds are.
With that said, which NBA coach has the most losses? Let’s find out as of Dec. 4, 2024.
NBA Coaches With the Most Losses
| Rank | Coach | Team(s) | Losses |
| 1 | Lenny Wilkens | Seattle SuperSonics (twice), Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks | 1,155 |
| 2 | Bill Fitch | Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Clippers | 1,106 |
| 3 | Don Nelson | Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors (twice), New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks | 1,063 |
| 4 | Dick Motta | Chicago Bulls, Washington Bullets, Dallas Mavericks (twice), Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets | 1,017 |
| 5 | Larry Brown | Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets | 904 |
| 6 | Gene Shue | Baltimore Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, Washington Bullets, Los Angeles Clippers | 861 |
| 7 | Rick Carlisle | Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers (twice), Dallas Mavericks | 841 |
| 8 | Gregg Popovich | San Antonio Spurs | 831 |
| 9 | George Karl | Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings | 824 |
| 10 | Jerry Sloan | Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz | 803 |
Which NBA Coach Has the Most Losses?
Lenny Wilkens is the NBA coach who has the most losses.
Wilkens lost 1,155 games.
He coached the Seattle SuperSonics (twice), Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks, serving as a player-coach during his first stint as Seattle’s head coach from 1969-1972.
The Brooklyn, New York, native won a championship as head coach of the SuperSonics during the 1978-79 season when Seattle took down the Washington Wizards in five games.
Wilkens is recognized by the NBA as a top 10 and 15 coach of all time.
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