Bob MacKinnon
Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets Interim Coach | Former ABA Coach | NBA Executive
Bob MacKinnon was born December 5, 1927, in Buffalo, New York, and built a basketball career that moved repeatedly between coaching, scouting and management. A longtime figure in Western New York basketball, he joined the Buffalo Braves’ staff in the early 1970s, when the young franchise was trying to establish itself in the NBA. MacKinnon did not follow a conventional climb toward one stable head-coaching job. Teams repeatedly brought him back when they needed an experienced hand during disruptions.
His first professional head-coaching season was in the ABA with the Spirits of St. Louis in 1974–75. He went 32–52 and reached the postseason, a result that belongs only to his ABA record. Returning to the NBA, MacKinnon went 3–4 as Buffalo’s interim coach in 1977, 12–35 after taking charge of New Jersey during 1980–81, and 10–29 during another Nets assignment in 1987–88. Those 93 NBA games yield a 25–68 record, a figure often obscured by the gaps between his three appointments.
Between and around those assignments, MacKinnon assisted the Braves, Celtics and Nets and also worked in executive roles. His repeated appearances in New Jersey’s staff and front-office history are as revealing as his head-coaching record: the Nets relied on him for organizational knowledge even when they chose someone else to lead the bench. He died July 7, 2015. MacKinnon’s biography is a reminder that many NBA coaching careers consisted of interim leadership and indispensable behind-the-scenes work rather than one lengthy, public-facing tenure.
Overall NBA regular-season head-coaching record: 25–68. Assistant-coaching and ABA appointments, when present, are recorded separately.
Coaching Career
The Braves were still a young NBA franchise when MacKinnon served as an assistant. Buffalo was beginning to build around Bob McAdoo and would become more competitive in the following seasons. The early staff years gave MacKinnon experience with NBA operations and provided the grounding for the emergency assignment he would eventually receive.
Notable Players Coached
In 1974–75, MacKinnon coached the ABA Spirits of St. Louis to 32–52 and a playoff appearance. This was a different league, with its own rosters, schedule and competitive conditions; his ABA wins cannot be folded into his NBA record. The year also broadened his professional coaching experience before his return to Buffalo.
Notable Players Coached
MacKinnon took control for seven games after Tates Locke departed in January 1977, going 3–4. The Braves were a club in transition despite talented players such as Bob McAdoo and Randy Smith. His record here is an interim slice of a season, not the outcome of an 82-game appointment.
Notable Players Coached
Back on Buffalo’s staff in 1977–78, MacKinnon worked through the franchise’s final season in the city before its move to San Diego. That instability makes the assistant appointment an important part of the club’s historical transition rather than an unrelated coaching job.
Notable Players Coached
MacKinnon’s Boston year was a short assistant assignment with the Celtics, who were navigating a changing roster and coaching staff before their return to contention. His presence adds a different organizational stop to a career often identified almost entirely with Buffalo and New Jersey.
Notable Players Coached
The Nets were attempting to settle into NBA life after the ABA merger when MacKinnon worked on the staff in 1979–81. With the franchise still developing a consistent identity in New Jersey, the assistant job placed him close to the decisions that led to his midseason promotion in December 1980.
Notable Players Coached
The 1980–81 Nets placed MacKinnon in charge after a poor opening stretch. He went 12–35 in 47 games while the team struggled to generate consistent offense. The 47-game interim period should be counted separately from his later 1987–88 stint, even though both took place in the same franchise.
Notable Players Coached
MacKinnon returned to the Nets’ assistant staff in the mid-1980s, working within teams that featured Buck Williams as a frontcourt cornerstone. The return underscores the franchise’s repeated use of his familiarity with its players and internal structure. Coaching and front-office roles during this period should be labeled separately.
Notable Players Coached
The Nets rehired MacKinnon as head coach in December 1987 after the departure of Dave Wohl. His 10–29 record in 39 games closed his NBA head-coaching résumé. It was a difficult season for New Jersey, but MacKinnon’s cumulative NBA total must also include Buffalo’s seven games and his earlier Nets interim period.