No matter how talented the roster, a capable and experienced head coach will always be a ceiling-raiser in the NBA. The LA Clippers are lucky to currently employ one of the best coaches in the association in Tyronn Lue.
Over the course of their history, the Clippers have employed many experienced and talented coaches, including several that ended up in the basketball Hall of Fame. Jack Ramsay, Larry Brown and Bill Fitch all served as LAC's head coach before becoming regarded as a few of the best coaches ever in the NBA via a Hall of Fame induction.
In this article, we will take a look at the history of head coaches in the Clippers organization. Read on to learn more about these coaches and their individual records, playoff achievements, and other notable contributions. For the sake of simplicity, we have narrowed the list down to the 18 coaches since the Clippers moved back to Los Angeles from San Diego in 1984.
Jim Lynam
- Years coached: 1984 - 1985
- Overall record: 22-39
- Playoff record: 0-0
Don Chaney
- Years coached: 1985 - 1987
- Overall record: 53-132
- Playoff record: 0-0
Gene Shue
- Years coached: 1987 - 1989
- Overall record: 27-93
- Playoff record: 0-0
Don Casey
- Years coached: 1989 - 1990
- Overall record: 41-85
- Playoff record: 0-0
Mike Schuler
- Years coached: 1990 - 1992
- Overall record: 52-75
- Playoff record: 0-0
Mack Calvin
- Years coached: 1992
- Overall record: 1-1
- Playoff record: 0-0
- Notable achievements:
- Served as interim head coach for two games in February 1992
Larry Brown
- Years coached: 1992 - 1993
- Overall record: 64-53
- Playoff record: 4-6
- Notable achievements:
- Named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history
Bob Weiss
- Years coached: 1993 - 1994
- Overall record: 27-55
- Playoff record: 0-0
Bill Fitch
- Years coached: 1994 - 1998
- Overall record: 99-229
- Playoff record: 0-3
- Notable achievements:
- Named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history
Chris Ford
- Years coached: 1998 - 2000
- Overall record: 20-75
- Playoff record: 0-0
Jim Todd
- Years coached: 2000
- Overall record: 4-33
- Playoff record: 0-0
Alvin Gentry
- Years coached: 2000 - 2003
- Overall record: 89-133
- Playoff record: 0-0
Dennis Johnson
- Years coached: 2003
- Overall record: 8-16
- Playoff record: 0-0
Mike Dunleavy Sr.
- Years coached: 2003 - 2010
- Overall record: 215-326
- Playoff record: 7-5
Kim Hughes
- Years coached: 2010
- Overall record: 8-25
- Playoff record: 0-0
Vinny Del Negro
- Years coached: 2010 - 2013
- Overall record: 128-102
- Playoff record: 6-11
Doc Rivers
- Years coached: 2013 - 2020
- Overall record: 356-208
- Playoff record: 27-32
- Notable achievements:
- Named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history
Tyronn Lue
- Years coached: 2020 - present
- Overall record: 184-134
- Playoff record: 11-13
Notable coaching achievements in Clippers history
Record-setting coaches
- Doc Rivers led the Clippers to their most wins in a season in franchise history during the 2013-14 season, when the team won 57 regular season games.
- Vinny Del Negro helped the Clippers to their longest winning streak ever during the 2012-13 season. LAC won a franchise record 17 games in a row from November 28, 2012 until January 1, 2013.
- It was during these days in the early part of the "Lob City" era that the Clippers began to become a consistent winner, and shed their reputation as a losing franchise. Coaches like Del Negro and Rivers played a big part in this phenomenon.
The current head coach
Future outlook under Tyronn Lue
Taking over for Doc Rivers in October of 2020, Tyronn Lue has quickly become a rock for the Clippers. He became the organization's head coach while already having championship experience under his belt, having coached the Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA title.
A brilliant tactical mind, Lue has helped elevate the Clippers' ceiling in every season since he became head coach. The team has reached the playoffs in three of the four seasons under his leadership, and they will have a much better chance of taking home the franchise's first championship with Ty at the helm.