Top 5 NBA coaches who have never won an NBA title

#1 Jerry Sloan

Jerry Sloan

Record: Regular Season 1221-803 (.603), Playoffs: 98-104 (.485)

Jerry Sloan coached in the NBA for 26 seasons, 23 of them for the Utah Jazz. He is one of 4 coaches to have a winning record for 15 consecutive seasons. He only missed the playoffs on 4 occasions.

Sloan began his coaching career with the Bulls in 1979 but was fired midway through his 3rd season. He would take over as Head Coach of the Jazz in 1988. With Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton in tow, the Jazz were a perennial playoff team. After losing in the Conference Finals thrice in a 5-year stretch, the Jazz had their best season in 1996-97, winning 64 games. But they lost to a Bulls team which won 69 games that season in the NBA Finals. They won 62 games next year but still lost in 6 games to the Bulls in the Finals. Sloan didn't enjoy much playoff success after that, but did reach the Conference Finals in 2007 and lost to the Spurs. He resigned in 2011 amid rumors of discontent between him and some players.

Sloan's teams ran the heck out of the pick and roll and were known for a team-oriented approach involving sharing the basketball, often ranking high in assists. Like many of the great players and 2 other coaches on this list, he has Jordan and the Bulls to thank for not winning a title.