Warriors’ Steve Kerr named 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year
NEW YORK – The Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr, whose team won an NBA-record 73 games, is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today. He becomes the Warriors’ first winner since Don Nelson in the 1991-92 season.
Kerr, in his second season as Golden State head coach, received 64 first-place votes and 381 total points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The Portland Trail Blazers’ Terry Stotts, who guided his team to the playoffs with four new starters, finished second with 37 first-place votes and 335 total points. Three-time winner Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs was third with 10 first-place votes and 166 total points. Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Under Kerr and assistant coach Luke Walton, who served as interim head coach until Kerr returned from back-surgery complications in January, the Warriors (73-9) posted the best regular-season record in league history, eclipsing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10). The defending NBA champions opened the season 24-0, the best start in league history, which pushed their overall regular-season winning streak to 28 games, the second longest of all time.
The Warriors set NBA records for single-season road victories (34) and consecutive home regular-season wins (54, including 18 victories to finish last season), and went 39-2 at Oracle Arena for the second season in a row. Golden State also became the first team to go through a season without losing two games in a row or losing to the same team twice.
The Warriors excelled at both ends of the court. They established an NBA record with 1,077 three-pointers, part of a high-powered offense that posted the league’s highest scoring average (114.9 ppg) since the 1991-92 season and led the NBA in offensive rating (112.5 points per 100 possessions), field goal percentage (48.7), three-point field goal percentage (41.6, second highest in NBA history) and assists (28.9 apg). On defense, the Warriors tied for fourth in defensive rating, allowing 100.9 points per 100 possessions.
The Coach of the Year Award is named after legendary coach and Hall of Famer Red Auerbach, who guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships. In 1996, Auerbach was honored as one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History as the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary.
For the third year in a row, complete media voting results for each NBA annual award will be posted on NBA.com/official after the announcement of each winner. Click here for those results.
Below are the balloting results for the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
2015-16 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS
Coach, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Pts
Steve Kerr, Golden State 64 18 7 381
Terry Stotts, Portland 37 38 36 335
Gregg Popovich, San Antonio 10 32 20 166
Steve Clifford, Charlotte 7 16 15 98
Dwane Casey, Toronto 6 12 17 83
Brad Stevens, Boston 5 10 19 74
Dave Joerger, Memphis 1 1 3 11
Doc Rivers, L.A. Clippers — 1 2 5
Luke Walton, Golden State (interim) — 1 2 5
Erik Spoelstra, Miami — — 4 4
Quin Snyder, Utah — 1 — 3
Rick Carlisle, Dallas — — 3 3
Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta — — 1 1
Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City — — 1 1
Below is the list of all-time winners:
ALL-TIME NBA COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
1962-63 – Harry Gallatin, St. Louis
1963-64 – Alex Hannum, San Francisco
1964-65 – Red Auerbach, Boston
1965-66 – Dolph Schayes, Philadelphia
1966-67 – Johnny Kerr, Chicago
1967-68 – Richie Guerin, St. Louis
1968-69 – Gene Shue, Baltimore
1969-70 – Red Holzman, New York
1970-71 – Dick Motta, Chicago
1971-72 – Bill Sharman, Los Angeles Lakers
1972-73 – Tom Heinsohn, Boston
1973-74 – Ray Scott, Detroit
1974-75 – Phil Johnson, Kansas City-Omaha
1975-76 – Bill Fitch, Cleveland
1976-77 – Tom Nissalke, Houston
1977-78 – Hubie Brown, Atlanta
1978-79 – Cotton Fitzsimmons, Kansas City
1979-80 – Bill Fitch, Boston
1980-81 – Jack McKinney, Indiana
1981-82 – Gene Shue, Washington
1982-83 – Don Nelson, Milwaukee
1983-84 – Frank Layden, Utah
1984-85 – Don Nelson, Milwaukee
1985-86 – Mike Fratello, Atlanta
1986-87 – Mike Schuler, Portland
1987-88 – Doug Moe, Denver
1988-89 – Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix
1989-90 – Pat Riley, Los Angeles Lakers
1990-91 – Don Chaney, Houston
1991-92 – Don Nelson, Golden State
1992-93 – Pat Riley, New York
1993-94 – Lenny Wilkens, Atlanta
1994-95 – Del Harris, Los Angeles Lakers
1995-96 – Phil Jackson, Chicago
1996-97 – Pat Riley, Miami
1997-98 – Larry Bird, Indiana
1998-99 – Mike Dunleavy, Portland
1999-00 – Doc Rivers, Orlando
2000-01 – Larry Brown, Philadelphia
2001-02 – Rick Carlisle, Detroit
2002-03 – Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
2003-04 – Hubie Brown, Memphis
2004-05 – Mike D’Antoni, Phoenix
2005-06 – Avery Johnson, Dallas
2006-07 – Sam Mitchell, Toronto
2007-08 – Byron Scott, New Orleans
2008-09 – Mike Brown, Cleveland
2009-10 – Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City
2010-11 – Tom Thibodeau, Chicago
2011-12 – Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
2012-13 – George Karl, Denver
2013-14 – Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
2014-15 – Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta
2015-16 – Steve Kerr, Golden State