A list of basketball superstars in the NBA who have successfully transformed from players to coaches

In NBA history, among the successful cases of players' transformation into coaches, not many people have truly reached the superstar level and outstanding coaching achievements, but there are still several iconic figures who have achieved the leap from a court leader to a tactical master. The following is sorted by achievements and influence:

1. Benchmark: Player and Coach Legend

Larry Bird

Player Achievement: 3×MVP, 3×Champion, top ten superstars in history.

Coaching resume:

→ Coaching the Pacers from 1997 to 2000, winning the best coach in the first season (the only person who won the MVP when both the player and the coach won the MVP).

→ Lead the team in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1998, and in 2000, he led the team to the finals (lost to the Lakers of the OK group).

Tactical style: emphasize space and conduction balls, and implement the concept of "modern forward support" ten years in advance.

Steve Kerr

Player Achievement: 5× Championship (Bulls, Spurs), historical scorer (career three-point shooting percentage is 45.4%).

Coaching resume:

→ I have coached the Warriors since 2015, won four championships in 9 years (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), with a winning rate of 65.9% (the top three in history).

→ Innovative tactics: combine Curry's running without the ball with Green's support to create the peak of "Death Five Smalls".

2. Point Guard Brain: Successful Transformation of Tactical Wisdom

Jason Kidd

Player Achievement: Second in the historical assist list, 10× All-Stars.

Coaching resume:

→ Coaching the Mavericks in 2021: Lead the team to the Western Conference Finals in the first year, and enter the finals again in 2024 (activate Doncic + Irving's dual cores).

→ Develop Antetokounmpo: When coaching the Nets from 2013-14, Antetokounmpo was trained from a rookie to a core player in the ball.

Tyronn Lue

Player Achievement: 2×Champion (Lakes), role player.

coaching resume:

→ In 2016, he led the Cavaliers to reverse the Warriors 1-3 and won the championship (the only major comeback in the finals in NBA history).

→ Coach the Clippers from 2020, and in 2024, he will enter the Western Conference Final with a full lineup (Harden/Xiaoka/George will take turns to take injury and still maintain the lower limit).

3. Center Commander: Alternative inheritance of inside wisdom

Bill Russell

Player achievements: 11 championships, historical defensive ceiling.

Coaching resume:

→ In 1966, he became the first black coach in the NBA (player and coach).

→ Lead the Celtics to win two consecutive championships in 1968 and 1969, the only player and coach in history.

Patrick Ewing

Player Achievements: 11× All-Stars, Top 50 Superstars in History.

Coaching Achievements:

→ Long-term Assistant Coach (Rockets, Magic, Hornets), coaching Georgetown University from 2021-23.

→ Cultivate modern centers: guide Yao Ming's low-post skills, Howard called him "founder of the defensive system".

4. Underrated transformation: From role player to famous coach

Doc Rivers

Player achievements: 1× All-Star, defensive champion.

Coaching resume:

→ In 2000, he won the best coach (41 wins with civilian lineup).

→ In 2008, he led the three Celtics to win the championship and won a thousand wins in his career (ninth in history).

Chauncey Billups

Player Achievement: 2004 Finals MVP, 5× All-Star.

Coaching resume:

→ Coaching the Trail Blazers from 2021, and returning to the playoffs in 2024 after leading the team Lotto in 2023 (developing Simmons/Sharp freshman).

5. Lesson of failure: The natural trap of superstar transformation

Magic Johnson: He resigned after coaching the Lakers in 16 games in 1994 (win rate 43.8%), and he ridiculed himself "can't stand the mistakes of role players."

Isaiah Thomas: The three-year winning rate of coaching the Pacers was 52.4%, the Knicks' winning rate was bleak (36.8%) + the locker room was out of control.

Kevin McHale: He coached the Rockets from 2011 to 15, but Harden failed to break through the Western Conference Finals ("Refrigerator Substitution" strategy is very controversial).

The rules reveal: Top superstars often fail because they find it difficult to understand the boundaries of character players' abilities (such as Jordan criticizing Bobcats players "not as good as a finger").

The core elements of successful transformation

point guard gene: Kidd, Cole, Lu, etc. prove that organizational guards have more advantages in the overall understanding of tactics.

Leadership Translation: Bird and Russell transform the prestige of the locker room into coaching authority.

Role players empathize: Rivers and Billups are not super big in their careers, so they know how to inspire ordinary players.

Ultimate conclusion: Famous coaches who plan on the NBA are often those "on-field coaches" who have tactical brains when they were players, rather than scoring machines that rely solely on talent - basketball wisdom is far more important than personal halo.