For the second straight offseason, Erik Spoelstra sits alone at the top of the NBA’s coaching tenure list.
The Heat coach moved into the No. 1 spot after Gregg Popovich announced his retirement in May 2025, ending nearly three decades in charge of the Spurs. Spoelstra has been in Miami since April 2008, and his run has already produced two championships and six NBA Finals trips. He’s also set to lead Team USA at the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
The rest of the list has changed a lot since last summer. Five of the league’s 11 longest-tenured head coaches are gone from their old posts, with Billy Donovan of the Bulls, Chauncey Billups of the Trail Blazers, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks, Jamahl Mosely of the Magic and Willie Green of the Pelicans all moving on from those jobs.
Mosley was the only one of that group to land another head coaching role this offseason, taking over the Pelicans on a five-year contract. Donovan is headed to San Antonio as the top assistant, while Green is expected to join Dallas as the lead assistant.
The turnover in the past year reached six coaching changes, which isn’t an outlier overall. What stands out is how much it reshaped the upper end of the tenure rankings. The last change came in Milwaukee, where former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins replaced Doc Rivers as Bucks head coach.
After Spoelstra, the longest-tenured coaches break down like this:
Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 2020
Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
Will Hardy, Jazz: June 2022
Joe Mazzulla, Celtics: September 2022
Mazzulla first became Boston’s interim coach in September 2022 before being named permanent head coach in February 2023.
Quin Snyder, Hawks: February 2023
Ime Udoka, Rockets: April 2023
Nick Nurse, Sixers: June 1, 2023
Darko Rajakovic, Raptors: June 13, 2023
Brian Keefe, Wizards: January 25, 2024
Keefe was Washington’s interim coach in January 2024 and got the permanent job in May 2024.
Jordi Fernandez, Nets: April 2024
Charles Lee, Hornets: May 2024
J.J. Redick, Lakers: June 24, 2024
Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers: June 28, 2024
J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons: July 2024
Mitch Johnson, Spurs: November 2024
Johnson became San Antonio’s acting coach in November 2024 after Popovich suffered a stroke, then was elevated to the permanent role in May 2025 when Popovich stepped away.
Doug Christie, Kings: December 2024
Christie was Sacramento’s interim coach in December 2024 and was named permanent coach in May 2025.
Tuomas Iisalo, Grizzlies: March 2025
Iisalo took over in an interim role in March 2025 and was made permanent in May 2025.
David Adelman, Nuggets: April 2025
Adelman followed the same path, moving from interim to permanent in May 2025 after taking over in April 2025.
Jordan Ott, Suns: June 2025
Mike Brown, Knicks: July 2025
Taylor Jenkins, Bucks: April 30, 2026
Jamahl Mosley, Pelicans: May 18, 2026
Sean Sweeney, Magic: June 1, 2026
Tiago Splitter, Bulls: June 16, 2026
Micah Nori, Trail Blazers: June 23, 2026
Dusty May, Mavericks: June 23, 2026
Dallas announced May’s hire just hours after Portland named Nori.
The gap at the top is massive. Spoelstra’s six-year cushion over Kerr is the biggest on the board, and Kerr’s lead over Lue is even wider than the stretch from Lue down to May, the most recently hired coach on the list.
In Other News...
Pelle Larsson Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Matter For Miami
Pelle Larsson is starting to look like more than a depth piece in Miami, and the timing could not be better for a Heat roster that may need fresh contributors to step forward. His NBA performance has taken a noticeable step, and with roster changes pointing toward a bigger opportunity next season, there is a real opening for him to carve out a meaningful role instead of simply filling minutes.
Sports Illustrateds Major Passons even floated Larsson as a Most Improved Player candidate, which says plenty about how his profile has changed. Add in his recent run with Sweden in FIBA World Cup European qualifiers, and the arrow is pointing up for a player whose development could become one of Miamis more interesting subplots if the expanded spotlight around the team keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Face One Roster Decision After Their Busy Offseason
After a busy offseason that brought Giannis Antetokounmpo into the mix and added several more pieces, the Heat still have one roster spot sitting open. It is the kind of final move teams can leave hanging for a while, but in Miami it matters because the roster is already starting to take shape around experience, versatility and veterans who can fit into different lineups without needing the ball all the time.
Nicolas Batum, Victor Oladipo and Kevin Love have each been floated as possible answers, and all three make sense for different reasons. Batum offers two-way flexibility, Oladipo brings backcourt experience, and Love still gives a team a proven frontcourt presence, but none of those additions has been confirmed by the Heat. For now, the last spot remains one of the few unresolved questions after an otherwise crowded offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Have A Point Guard Problem Beyond Davion Mitchell
Davion Mitchell looks like the likeliest answer at point guard heading into the upcoming season, but the larger issue for Miami is what comes after him. The Heat have made a habit of squeezing value out of imperfect rosters, yet the backcourt behind Mitchell is thin enough that it stands out as one of the clearest roster concerns as camp approaches.
Dru Smith is among the names in line to help, but Miami still has some uncertainty to sort through before the season starts. Whether the solution comes through roster movement or internal growth, the Heat need more stability at the position if they want to keep pace in a crowded Eastern Conference. [Read more 🡒]