Who's The Greatest Coach In Los Angeles Clippers History?

Mar 6, 2026

In this series, we’ll take a look at the illustrious list of head coaches in each NBA franchise’s history. To make a case for ‘greatest coach,’ we’ll look at win-loss record, player development, and (most importantly) team accomplishments under that coach’s tutelage.

To say that the Clippers franchise has seen hard times would be a massive understatement.

For decades, the team amounted to nothing more than the NBA’s laughingstock, a fixture in the bottom of the standings. Playoff droughts lasted as long as a typical NBA player’s career, and the struggle to win was exacerbated by factors like poor decision-making in the NBA Draft and shenanigans involving certain figures in the Clippers organization.

This track record, then, gives so much more weight to the accomplishments of the winningest coaches in Clippers history. It took no less than tremendous resolve to lead a team like the Clippers to respectable records and deep playoff runs.

There are only three coaches in Clippers history to have won 200+ regular-season games with the franchise. The first one to pull this off was Mike Dunleavy Sr. In 2006, he ended a nine-year period of playoff futility for the team, tapping the talents of players like Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, and Sam Cassell. Dunleavy finished his Clippers stint with a 215-326 record.

In the 2010s, Doc Rivers would call the shots for the acclaimed “Lob City” Clippers. With the star power of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul (as well as reliable veterans JJ Redick and DeAndre Jordan), Rivers took the team to six playoff trips out of seven seasons. Rivers went 356-208 in the regular season and 27-32 in the playoffs.

Cox, K. (2015). Blake Griffin and Doc Rivers [Photo], Imagn Images

The Clippers’ current head coach, Ty Lue, has been at the helm since 2020. Lue, who has won titles as both a player and a coach, led the Clippers all the way to the Western Conference Finals in his first season with the team. Lue has already surpassed Dunleavy’s mark by winning over 230 games as of the 2025-26 campaign.

Lue gets the nod as the greatest coach in Clippers history. Though Rivers currently has more wins than he does, Lue has never allowed the Clippers to lose a playoff series after going up 3-1. Conversely, Rivers failed to take the team past the second round during his stint in Los Angeles. As such, Lue has a solid claim to the title of the greatest Clippers coach ever.

Written by Dave Blinebury

Dave Blinebury is a sports die-hard who has written extensively about the careers and achievements of NBA athletes. He has also covered the intensity of FIBA tournaments, watched Brittney Sykes sink the title-clinching shot in the first season of Unrivaled, and waxed poetic about Olympic boxing.