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Making the move from player to head coach in the NBA is no easy feat. However, a few former players like Wes Unseld and and the current Brooklyn Nets coach, Steve Nash, seek to continue their impeccable run in the league, this time as a coach.
Players with high basketball IQ are often the likeliest candidates to turn out to be NBA head coaches after they retire. But that is not a prerequisite as there are great coaches like Gregg Popovich, who never played professional basketball.
Regardless, active players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Draymond Green, who have all had exceptional runs in the NBA, are most likely to become coaches further down the line. With their understanding of the game and relative success, the chances of them picking up a clipboard in the NBA sometime in the future are great.
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More often than not, ex-players like to stick around the NBA in some capacity after they retire, which is why a great number of them are coaches. There are obvious outliers to this trend as well. Michael Jordan, who is perhaps the greatest player in NBA history, stated that he does not have the patience for coaching. Instead, he earned a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets to stay actively connected to the sport.
That said, here are five active NBA head coaches who have had successful careers as players.
#1 Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr is the most decorated individual on this list, both as a player and as an NBA head coach. He was the 50th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft but wasted no time in showing his talents in the NBA.
Kerr was part of the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s, winning three NBA championships during his time there. Due to the Bulls' rebuild in 1998, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he won two NBA championships in 1999 and 2003 before announcing his retirement in 2003.
Although he joined the Golden State Warriors as a rookie coach, he broke several records held by more experienced NBA head coaches. He won 21 of his first 23 games and ended the season with a 67-15 run, making him the highest winning rookie NBA head coach.
Steve has led the Warriors to 3 NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018) so far and won the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2016.
#2 Tyronn Lue
The former NBA player currently serves as the head coach of the LA Clippers. Although Tyronn Lue is an accomplished NBA head coach, his playing career was more impressive.
Lue was lauded for his impressive comebacks in the 2021 NBA season against the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz. The Clippers put up a brave fight against the Phoenix Suns but were knocked out in the Western Conference Finals. Regardless of the outcome of the 2021 NBA playoffs for the Clippers, it was their deepest playoff run in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the point guard had a decent run as a player, winning two NBA championships with the LA Lakers. His introduction to the NBA was tough, but Lue picked things up in the 2001 playoffs as he was used to man-mark Allen Iverson during the 2001 NBA Finals.
He won the NBA championship once more with the Cleveland Cavaliers and coached the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star team in 2016.
#3 Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd hit the ground running after his introduction to the NBA in 1994. He jointly won the NBA Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill, the second time in NBA history that voters couldn't decide on a winner.
After what was an impressive rookie season, Kidd continued to dominate the league, resulting in 10 All-Star appearances in his 19 years as an NBA player. In 2011, Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks pulled off an impeccable NBA Finals win against the Miami Heat super team composed of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
Kidd was an exceptional talent and was impressive on offense and defense. He made the NBA's All-Defensive first team four times in his career while making the All-Defensive second team twice.
The LA Lakers under Frank Vogel are known for their impenetrable defense, which helped earn them the NBA championship in 2020. With Kidd serving in the capacity of an assistant coach at the time, it is not rocket science to deduce that he played a crucial role in tightening their defense.
The 2021-22 season will see Jason Kidd serve in the capacity of head coach again as he was newly hired by the Dallas Mavericks. He has already worked as a head coach between 2013 and 2018, but did not record much success during that stint.
#4 Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups was selected 3rd overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Although he moved around a lot, his longest stint with one franchise was with the Detroit Pistons, where he spent seven of his 17-year career.
His time with the Pistons was undoubtedly the peak of his career. He was instrumental in overcoming the LA Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals to be awarded the NBA Finals MVP title.
While that was the most memorable period of Billup's career, he had several amazing runs in the NBA, which led to five consecutive All-Star appearances from 2006-2010. His heroics in Detroit also resulted in the franchise retiring his No. 1 jersey.
Billups is only in his second year as an NBA head coach. He served under Tyronn Lue as an assistant coach during the LA Clippers' impressive 2020-21 NBA season. He has since left the Clippers and will now start the 2021-22 season as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
#5 Steve Nash
Steve Nash started his career as an NBA head coach with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020. Although he put together a superteam that looked like the favorites to clinch the NBA championship, injuries derailed their season.
Before making the transition from player to coach, he served as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors from 2015 and won championships in 2017 and 2018. During his time as a player, he played with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and finally retired with the LA Lakers.
Nash was the regular-season MVP in 2005 and 2006. He also made eight NBA All-Star appearances and seven All-NBA selections. The veteran guard also led the NBA in assists for five different seasons.
