Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

For the second straight offseason, Erik Spoelstra of the Heat is the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA.

Spoelstra took over the top spot on our list when Gregg Popovich announced his retirement in May 2025. Popovich had been head coach of the Spurs for nearly three decades.

Spoelstra has won two championships and has made six total NBA Finals appearances since he took over as Miami’s head coach in 2008. He will also be the head coach for Team USA during the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

Five of the NBA’s 11 longest-tenured head coaches have been replaced since we checked in last summer, with Billy Donovan of the Bulls (September 2020), Chauncey Billups of the Trail Blazers (June 2021), Jason Kidd of the Mavericks, Jamahl Mosely of the Magic (July 2021) and Willie Green of the Pelicans (July 2021) all parting ways with their respective teams.

Mosley was the only coach of the group to find a new head coaching job this offseason, having joined the Pelicans on a five-year contract. Donovan will be the new top assistant in San Antonio, while Green is expected to join Dallas as the lead assistant.

The total number of coaching changes in the past year – six – isn’t abnormally high, but it’s unusual for us to be removing so many names at the top of our list. The final coaching change came in Milwaukee, where former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins replaced Doc Rivers as the top coach of the Bucks.

Here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:

1. Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008