The Best Philadelphia 76ers Coaches Of All Time

Ranker NBA
Updated September 15, 2023 909 votes 140 voters
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Philadelphia 76ers Coaches Of All Time

Who are the best Philadelphia 76ers coaches of all time? In their time as an NBA franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers have gone through many different head coaches, all with different personalities and coaching styles. With that said, who is the best Philadelphia 76ers coach of all time? Which 76ers head coaches do you love?

Al Cervi was the first coach in franchise history to win an NBA Finals. Cervi, who was also the first head coach in franchise history, won it all in 1955. Billy Cunningham is the most recent head coach to lead the 76ers to an NBA Finals championship. Cunningham did this in 1983. In recent years, the 76ers brought on Doc Rivers to get the team back to their winning ways.

Vote up the best Philadelphia 76ers coaches of all time, and help us decide who are the top 76ers head coaches ever.

Ranked by
  • Billy Cunningham
    1

    1977–1985    

    William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers (nine as player, eight as coach), and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA.
  • Jack Ramsay
    2

    Jack Ramsay

    37 votes

    1968–1972    

    John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – April 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA Title, and for his broadcasting work with the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, and for ESPN TV and ESPN Radio. Ramsay was among the most respected coaches in NBA history and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the winner of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2009–10 NBA season.
  • Larry Brown
    3

    Larry Brown

    64 votes

    1997–2003    

    Lawrence Harvey Brown (born September 14, 1940) is a former American basketball coach and player who was most recently the head coach for Auxilium Torino of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and EuroCup Basketball. Brown is the only coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA national championship (Kansas Jayhawks, 1988) and an NBA title (Detroit Pistons, 2004). He has a 1,275-965 lifetime professional coaching record in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is the only coach in NBA history to lead eight teams to the playoffs. He also won an ABA championship as a player with the Oakland Oaks in the 1968–69 season, and an Olympic Gold Medal in 1964. He is also the only person ever to coach two NBA franchises in the same season (Spurs and Clippers during the 1991–92 NBA season). Before coaching, Brown played collegiately at the University of North Carolina and professionally in the ABA. Brown was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach on September 27, 2002. Although widely considered one of the greatest coaches in basketball history, he has developed a reputation for constantly looking for better coaching opportunities and frequently switching teams or programs before the expiration of his contract.
  • Jim Lynam
    4

    Jim Lynam

    40 votes

    1988–1992    

    James Francis Lynam (born September 15, 1941) is an American former college and professional basketball coach. He coached at the college level for Fairfield University from 1968 to 1970, American University from 1973 to 1978, and St. Joseph's University from 1978 to 1981. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), Lynam coached the San Diego Clippers/Los Angeles Clippers from 1983 to 1985, the Philadelphia 76ers from 1987 to 1992, and the Washington Bullets from 1995 to 97. Lynam compiled a 158–118 record at the college level, and 328–392 in the NBA. He was also Philadelphia's general manager from 1992 to 1994.
  • Maurice Cheeks
    5

    2005–2008

    Maurice Edward Cheeks (born September 8, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and is currently an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018.
  • Doug Collins
    6

    Doug Collins

    43 votes

    2010–2013    

    Paul Douglas Collins (born July 28, 1951) is an American basketball executive, former player, coach and television analyst in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1973 to 1981 for the Philadelphia 76ers, earning four NBA All-Star selections. He then became an NBA coach in 1986, and had stints coaching the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. Collins also served as an analyst for various NBA-related broadcast shows. He is a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award.