The Best Milwaukee Bucks Coaches Of All Time

Ranker NBA
Updated July 2, 2022 495 votes 101 voters
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Milwaukee Bucks Coaches Of All Time

Who are the best Milwaukee Bucks coaches of all time? In their time as an NBA franchise, the Milwaukee Bucks have gone through many different head coaches, all with different personalities and coaching styles. With that said, who is the best Milwaukee Bucks coach of all time? Which Bucks head coaches do you love?

The first coach in Bucks history Larry Costello would coach the franchise to its first NBA championship in the 1971 NBA Finals. A feat that would be matched by Mike Budenholzer fifty years later. Don Nelson is the franchise's all-time leader most regular season games won, with 540. Nelson has also won the most post season victories of any Bucks head coach (42).

Vote up the best Milwaukee Bucks coaches of all time, and help us decide who are the best Bucks head coaches ever.

Ranked by
  • Don Nelson
    1

    Don Nelson

    50 votes

    1976–1987    

    Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940), sometimes known as Nellie, is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics and had his number 19 retired by the franchise. An innovator, Nelson is credited with, among other things, pioneering the concept of the point forward, a tactic which is frequently employed by teams at every level today. His unique brand of basketball is often referred to as Nellie Ball. He was named one of the Top 10 coaches in NBA history. On April 7, 2010, he passed Lenny Wilkens for first place on the all-time NBA wins list with his 1,333rd win. His all-time record coaching record was 1,335–1,063 (.557). Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
  • Mike Budenholzer
    2

    2018 - 

    Michael Vincent Budenholzer (born August 6, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the Bucks, Budenholzer spent five seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks and 18 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, serving as a video coordinator for the first two seasons and then as an assistant coach under head coach Gregg Popovich. Budenholzer is commonly referred to by other coaches, players and media as "Bud" or "Coach Bud," in a similar manner to his mentor Popovich.
  • George Karl
    3

    George Karl

    38 votes

    1998–2003    

    George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and former player. He is one of 9 coaches in NBA history to have won 1,000 NBA games, though he never won a championship.
  • Larry Costello
    4

    1968–1976    

    Lawrence Ronald Costello (July 2, 1931 – December 13, 2001) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was known as the National Basketball Association's last two-handed set shooter.
  • Del Harris
    5

    Del Harris

    27 votes

    1987–1991    

    Delmer William Harris (June 18, 1937) is an American basketball coach who is currently the vice president of the Texas Legends, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. He served as a head coach for the NBA's Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Legends. He was also an assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Houston Rockets.
  • Terry Porter
    6

    Terry Porter

    29 votes

    2003–2005    

    Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisconsin, he played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point before being drafted 24th by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 NBA draft. In Portland, he played ten seasons with two All-Star Game appearances. Porter spent 17 years in the NBA as a player. Following his retirement as a player in 2002, he began coaching in the league and has twice been a head coach, first with his hometown Milwaukee Bucks, and then with the Phoenix Suns up until February 16, 2009. He was the alumni ambassador for Portland Trail Blazers.