Pacers HC Rick Carlisle reaches major milestone, joins elite company

Rick Carlisle showered with love after the milestone win 

Once the win was secured, Carlisle was serenaded with kind words from NBA legends he either coached or worked with like Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and even Dirk Nowitzki and Mark Cuban. Nowitzki was his star player and Cuban was his boss in Dallas with the Mavericks. 

Once Carlisle wrapped up a non-consequential playing career in 1989, he immediately began coaching — his first job was transitioning from being a player on the then-New Jersey Nets to one of the team's assistant coaches. He would stay in that role for five years until moving on for an assistant position with the Portland Trail Blazers and then his first experience with the Pacers from 1997-2000. 

Rick Carlisle has won consistently throughout his entire coaching career 

Carlisle's first head-coaching opportunity came with the Pistons, coaching Detroit for two seasons from 2001-03. He won two division titles and led Detroit to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in his final season. 

While Carlisle would have to watch his former team win a championship in 2004, he returned to Indiana to take over the Pacers' head job, where he stayed until 2007. 

Carlisle enjoyed his longest tenure with the Mavericks from 2008-21, capturing an NBA championship in 2011 by upsetting the LeBron James-led Miami Heat superteam. 

Carlisle has been back in Indiana since 2022, guiding the Pacers to two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and getting to his second NBA Finals. 

There's no denying Carlisle's body of work as one of the greatest coaches the league has ever seen.