NBA Coaches With the Most Rings: Phil Jackson Has 11
Phil Jackson has the most rings of any NBA coach. He won 11 titles, six with the Bulls and five with the Lakers. Red Auerbach is second with 9.
Only 39 coaches have won an NBA title. Fourteen have won two or more. This page ranks all 39. It counts titles won as head coach. Rings won as a player sit beside them. Add the two Jackson won as a player and his total is 13.
Counts are as of October 2026. The Knicks won the 2026 Finals under Mike Brown, the newest name on the list.
How rings are counted for NBA coaches
A ring here means a title won as head coach. Rings won as a player are shown beside them. Rings won as an assistant coach or an executive are named, but not counted. If a coach was also a player that year, the year counts once.
NBA coaches with the most rings: the top 6
Six coaches have won three or more titles. Jackson and Auerbach stand far above the rest. Kundla, Popovich and Riley have 5 each. Steve Kerr has 4.
| Rank | Coach | Titles | Finals lost | Team | Title years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Jackson | 11 | 2 | Bulls and Lakers | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010 |
| 2 | Red Auerbach | 9 | 2 | Celtics | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| T3 | John Kundla | 5 | 1 | Lakers | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| T3 | Gregg Popovich | 5 | 1 | Spurs | 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 |
| T3 | Pat Riley | 5 | 4 | Lakers and Heat | 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006 |
| 6 | Steve Kerr | 4 | 2 | Warriors | 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
Finals lost counts the NBA Finals a coach reached and lost. Ties share a rank, and the coach with fewer losses is listed first. Counts as of October 2026.
Stars shaped these runs. Jackson’s six Bulls titles all came with Michael Jordan. Kerr’s four all came with Stephen Curry. Popovich’s five all came with Tim Duncan.
Every NBA champion coach, ranked
Use the buttons to change what is counted or find one coach. Tap a coach to see each Finals he reached and who he beat.
Every champion coach, ranked
Title as head coach Ring as a player Won as player and coach in the same year
Years for NFL coaches are seasons. The 2025 season ended with Super Bowl LX in February 2026. Rings as a player come from our NBA rings list and Super Bowl rings list. Phil Jackson's injured 1970 ring is added from Basketball-Reference and Wikipedia.
Of the 39 NBA champion coaches, 14 have won two or more titles. The other 25 won once.
Rings as a player and as a coach
Fourteen NBA coaches won a ring as a player and a title as head coach.
Jackson has the most, with 13. That is 11 as a coach and 2 as a player, in 1970 and 1973. He was hurt in 1970, but Basketball-Reference and Wikipedia both credit him with that ring.
Bill Russell has 11 rings. Two came in 1968 and 1969, when he was player and coach at once. We count each year once, so his total is 11, not 13. Steve Kerr has 9, five as a player and four as a coach. K.C. Jones and Tom Heinsohn have 10 each. Each won 8 as a Celtics player and 2 as Celtics coach.
Players who became champion coaches
Ring as a player Title as head coach Player and coach, same year Ring as an assistant
Totals count each year once. Rings as an executive are never counted, and assistant rings count only when you switch them on. The wait is the number of years from a coach's last ring as a player to the first title as head coach.
Pat Riley won 1 as a Lakers player, in 1972, and 5 as a coach. Tyronn Lue won 2 as a Lakers player and 1 as Cavaliers coach.
| Coach | Rings as a player | Titles as head coach | Total, each year once |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Jackson | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Bill Russell | 11 | 2 | 11 |
| K.C. Jones | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Tom Heinsohn | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Steve Kerr | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Pat Riley | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Bill Sharman | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Red Holzman | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Tyronn Lue | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Billy Cunningham | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| George Senesky | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Larry Costello | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Rick Carlisle | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Buddy Jeannette | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Rings as a player come from our NBA rings list. Jackson’s injured 1970 ring is added from Basketball-Reference and Wikipedia. Russell and Buddy Jeannette won as player and coach in the same year, so those years count once. Assistant and executive rings are not included.
One famous total is higher than ours because it counts more jobs. Pat Riley has 9 in all. Add one as a Lakers assistant in 1980. Add two as Heat president, in 2012 and 2013. Mike Brown also won rings as an assistant coach, with the Spurs and the Warriors. They are named here, not counted.
When each coach won
Red Auerbach won eight titles in a row, from 1959 to 1966. That is the longest run by any NBA coach. Jackson won three in a row three times. The Bulls did it for him in 1991 to 1993 and 1996 to 1998. The Lakers did it in 2000 to 2002.
When each coach won
One row per coach. Every gold dot is a title, every dashed dot is a lost Finals. Change the years to zoom in, then tap a coach for the results.
Title Finals lost First title to last title
The race to a number of titles
Years are counted from the first title to the title that reached the number, both years included. NFL years are seasons.
Two coaches won four titles in five years. They are John Kundla (1949 to 1953) and Auerbach (1957 to 1961). Pat Riley has the longest span from first title to last. It is 25 years, from 1982 to 2006. Jackson’s span is 20 years, from 1991 to 2010.
Who never lost a Finals, and who never won
Russell, Heinsohn and Rudy Tomjanovich each won 2 Finals as coach and lost none.
Fred Schaus lost four Finals with the Lakers and never won one. Joe Lapchick lost three with the Knicks and never won. Riley and Erik Spoelstra also lost four Finals, but both won titles.
Who won, who lost, who never won
Every coach who reached the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl, with each trip shown in order. Pick a view, then tap a coach to see every result.
Won the Finals Lost the Finals
Who coached each team’s titles
Two teams won every title under one coach. All 6 Bulls titles were Jackson’s. All 5 Spurs titles were Gregg Popovich’s. The Celtics are the opposite, with 18 titles under 7 coaches. The Lakers have 17 under 6.
Who coached each team's titles
Pick a team. See every title in order, with the coach who won it. Teams with one color per coach show how often the job changed hands.
Teams with the most titles
One coach won every title
Won with two teams
Teams are grouped by franchise, so the Lakers include the Minneapolis years. NFL titles are Super Bowl wins only. NFL years are seasons.
Only three coaches won titles with two teams. Jackson won with the Bulls and Lakers. Riley won with the Lakers and Heat. Alex Hannum won with the Hawks and 76ers. Jackson also coached Shaquille O’Neal to three Lakers titles. See how many rings Shaq has. For team totals instead, see NBA championships by team.
Compare any two NBA coaches
Pick two champion coaches. See titles, Finals record, years of success and rings as a player side by side. If they ever met in a Finals, the games are listed.
Compare any two coaches
Pick two champion coaches, in the same league or not. See titles, Finals record, years of success and rings won as a player.
Popular matchups
Who is still coaching
Steve Kerr agreed to a two year extension with the Warriors in May 2026. Gregg Popovich stepped down as Spurs coach in May 2025. Mike Brown won the 2026 title with the Knicks, his first as a head coach.
More NBA ring lists
NBA coaches with the most rings FAQ
Who has the most rings as an NBA coach?
Phil Jackson has 11 titles as a head coach, six with the Bulls and five with the Lakers. Red Auerbach is second with 9. John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley have 5 each. With his two rings as a player, Jackson has 13.
How many rings does Phil Jackson have in total?
Jackson has 13. He won 11 titles as a coach and 2 as a player with the Knicks, in 1970 and 1973. He was injured during the 1970 run, but Basketball-Reference and Wikipedia both credit him with that ring.
Who won the most NBA titles with one team as a coach?
Red Auerbach won 9 with the Celtics. Phil Jackson won 6 with the Bulls and 5 with the Lakers. John Kundla won 5 with the Lakers, and Gregg Popovich won 5 with the Spurs.
How many rings does Pat Riley have?
Riley has 9 in all: 1 as a Lakers player (1972), 1 as a Lakers assistant (1980), 5 as head coach and 2 as Heat president (2012 and 2013). This page counts his 5 as head coach and 1 as a player.
Who won the most NBA titles in a row as a coach?
Red Auerbach won eight in a row with the Celtics, from 1959 to 1966. Phil Jackson is the only coach to win three in a row three times: 1991 to 1993, 1996 to 1998 and 2000 to 2002.
Which NBA coach lost the most Finals without winning one?
Fred Schaus lost four Finals with the Lakers and never won one. Joe Lapchick lost three with the Knicks. Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra also lost four, but each won at least one title.
Which NBA coaches won rings as a player and as a coach?
Fourteen coaches did. Phil Jackson leads with 13 and Bill Russell has 11. Tom Heinsohn and K.C. Jones have 10 each, and Steve Kerr has 9. Each year counts once, so Russell’s two player and coach years count once.
How many NBA coaches have won a title?
Thirty nine coaches have won a title. Fourteen won two or more, and six won three or more. Eddie Gottlieb was the first, in 1947. Mike Brown is the newest, after the Knicks won the 2026 Finals.
For player totals, read who has the most rings in NBA history. For team totals, read NBA championships by team. See how many rings Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or Shaq have. The NBA hub and the All Ring Counts page list more. For the NFL, see NFL coaches with the most Super Bowl wins.
We update this page after every NBA Finals. Counts in the text and tables will be checked again after the 2027 NBA Finals.
Sources
- Basketball-Reference: NBA and ABA champions (champion, runner up and coach for every Finals) and the player pages for Phil Jackson, Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry
- Wikipedia: List of NBA champions, List of NBA championship head coaches, and the pages for Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Tim Duncan and Stephen Curry
- NBA.com: Coaches with the most NBA championships (June 16, 2026)
- 2026 NBA Finals: Wikipedia and NBC Bay Area on the Knicks title and Mike Brown
- Steve Kerr: ABC7 News and the Associated Press on his two year extension (May 2026)
- Gregg Popovich: Texas Standard and beIN SPORTS on his stepping down (May 2025)
- SportsRingCount: our NBA rings list (ring winners used for rings won as a player)
Last verified: October 6, 2026.
