In honor of National Coaches Day – come on, you knew that was today, right? – we’re looking back at the glory days of NBA coaching.
This is not to besmirch this generation of coaches. Gregg Popovich, Rick Carlisle, Erik Spoelstra, Doc Rivers and a lot of others are keeping the craft in good hands.
They are making their predecessors proud.
And those forerunners to this crop of coaches left an indelible mark on the NBA.
It was, without question, a golden era to be a coach. Lenny Wilkens, Jack Ramsay, Gene Shue, Dick Motta, Don Nelson, Larry Brown, Chuck Daly and, of course, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson were marquee coaches with classic portfolios.