Who is the best Los Angeles Lakers coach of all time?

From Showtime-era swagger to bubble-era grit, these sidelines have seen wildly different styles of winning. Where do you stand?

1

Phil Jackson

Led the Lakers to five NBA championships and holds the franchise records for wins and playoff victories.

1000pts

2

John Kundla

Guided the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships in the 1950s alongside George Mikan.

877pts

3

Darvin Ham

Led the Lakers to the 2023 Western Conference Finals in his first season as head coach.

877pts

4

Pat Riley

Coached the Showtime-era Lakers to four championships in the 1980s with his defense-first, star-driven system.

771pts

5

Del Harris

Head coach through the mid-1990s who helped rebuild the Lakers into a playoff contender before the Shaq-Kobe era.

600pts

6

Byron Scott

Former Lakers championship guard who returned to coach the team from 2014 to 2016.

600pts

7

JJ Redick

Former NBA sharpshooter who became Lakers head coach in 2024, leading the team in the LeBron-to-Doncic transition era.

491pts

8

Bill Sharman

Led the Lakers to a record 33-game winning streak and the franchise's first Los Angeles championship in 1972.

491pts

9

Paul Westhead

Won the 1980 NBA championship as a rookie head coach with a young Magic Johnson.

491pts

10

Fred Schaus

Coached the Jerry West and Elgin Baylor-era Lakers to multiple NBA Finals appearances in the 1960s.

360pts

11

Mike D'Antoni

Brought his up-tempo, high-scoring offensive system to the Lakers from 2012 to 2014.

360pts

12

Frank Vogel

Coached the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando bubble alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

200pts

13

Mike Brown

Coached the Lakers from 2011 to 2012 during the tail end of the Kobe Bryant era.

200pts