Mike Brown Named 2023 NBA Coach of the Year: Who Holds the Record for Most Wins?

• Don Nelson was named Coach of the Year in 1983, 1985, and 1992
• Pat Riley won the award three times with three different teams
• Gregg Popovich won the award three times as the Spurs' head coach

Mike Brown made history on Wednesday, becoming the first unanimous winner of the NBA Coach of the Year award.

All 100 media members voted for Brown, who led the Sacramento Kings to the 2023 NBA Playoffs after a 17-year drought.

He has now won the Red Auerbach Trophy twice, with his first Coach of the Year award coming in 2009 when he guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to a league-best 66-16 slate and the Eastern Conference Finals.  

However, Brown doesn’t hold the record for most Coach of the Year wins.

Revealed! A list of the ten most recent Super Bowl winners

NFL

Sports Brief looks at the three-time winners of this prestigious award.  

Don Nelson (1983, 1985, 1992)

Nelson became the first NBA coach to win the prestigious award three times. He first took home the trophy in 1983, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance after finishing the regular season with a 51-21 record.

He again won the Coach of the Year award in 1985, guiding the Bucks to a 59-23 slate. They fell short in the playoffs, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Nelson became Golden State’s head coach in 1988 and instilled the run-and-gun style of offense for the Warriors.

He was named Coach of the Year in 1992, leading the Warriors to a playoff appearance after finishing the season with a 55-27 record. They lost to the Seattle Supersonics in the first round.

Most assists in NBA game: who holds the record in 2024?

NBA

Pat Riley (1990, 1993, 1997)

Riley became the first NBA coach to win the award with three different teams. He first won Coach of the Year with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989-90 season after finishing with a 63-19 record.

He made a stunning move to the Big Apple to coach the Knicks in 1991. Riley led New York to its best regular season record in team history (tied with the 1969–1970 side) in the 1992-93 campaign, finishing with a 60-22 slate.

Riley was named NBA Coach of the Year that season, with the Knicks finishing first place in the Eastern Conference. They fell short in the playoffs, though, losing to the Chicago Bulls in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals.

Riley won the award for the third time in the 1996-97 campaign as the head coach of the Miami Heat. He led the Heat to a 61–21 record that season, with Miami finishing first in the Atlantic Division.

How many rings does Larry Bird have? A list of Larry Bird’s achievements

NBA

Gregg Popovich (2003, 2012, 2014)

Popovich became the first NBA coach to win the award three times with the same team. He first took home the trophy in 2003, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 60-22 record in the regular season.

They continued their excellent play in the postseason, winning the 2003 NBA Finals against the New Jersey Nets.

He captured the award again in 2012, guiding the Spurs to the best record in the Western Conference with a 50-16 slate. The Spurs fell short in the playoffs that season, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

Popovich joined Riley and Nelson as three-time Coach of the Year awardees in 2014, leading the Spurs to a league-best 62-20 record. San Antonio went on to win the championship, beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Monk lifts Kings past Warriors

Sports Brief recently reported on the Kings’ win over the Warriors in Game 2. 

Cowboys Super Bowl appearances: How many times have the Dallas Cowboys made it to the Super Bowl?

NFL

Malik Monk played an important role in Sacramento’s 114-106 victory, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds.

He has scored a total of 50 points in the Kings’ last two wins over the Warriors.