Who's The Greatest Coach In Sacramento Kings History?

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.

Are the Sacramento Kings the heartbreak kids of NBA history? Sure.

Heartbreak can take many forms, and the Kings have manifested them all. On multiple occasions, they came within a series of clinching a Finals berth, only to fall by the wayside. Between their time as the Rochester Royals, the Cincinnati Royals, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, and their present iteration, they’ve also had extensive playoff droughts.

The Kings, by the way, hold the dubious distinction of incurring the most regular season losses in NBA history: over 3,300 setbacks suffered throughout the course of 78 years.

It’s easy, then, to pinpoint the head coaches that stand out on this franchise’s lengthy list of sideline gurus. The candidates for greatest Kings coach ever are those who gave the team a substantial taste of an elusive substance: winning.

The franchise’s inaugural coach was also the only mentor to taste championship gold in the NBA. As a matter of fact, Les Harrison was also the co-founder of the Rochester Royals franchise that entered the league in 1948. Harrison, a Rochester native who finished with an all-time regular season record of 296-181, led the team to a 4-3 series victory over the New York Knicks in the 1951 NBA Finals.

Fast forward to the late 70s and early 80s, when the franchise went under the name Kansas City Kings. During this period, Cotton Fitzsimmons made his mark. Under Fitzsimmons’ leadership, the Kings went on four trips to the playoffs, including two Western Conference semifinals appearances and a berth in the 1980 Western Conference Finals. Players like Reggie King and Scott Wedman thrived under Fitzsimmons’ watch.

After yet another long time skip, we arrive at the 2000s. Now based in Sacramento, the Kings followed the lead of Rick Adelman, a highly creative mind on the offensive end. With a well-balanced squad that included Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, and Doug Christie, Adelman gave the Shaq-Kobe Lakers a massive problem to deal with.

Championship gold is, and will always be, the barometer for any head coach’s success in the NBA. For this reason, Harrison gets the nod as the greatest Kings coach ever.