National Basketball Association Coaches: 1970-1979

Welcome to the Behind the Coaching’s archive of coach profiles for all NBA head and assistant coaches who coached in the 1970s. Our coach profiles are index tracks the career paths, philosophies, and coaching trees of every single head and assistant coach active between 1970 and 1979. This page and list are currently undergoing additions and changes and should be completed by April 1st, 2026. There will also be pages similar to this one that will list and display BAA & NBA coaches from 1947-2009, and ABA (1967-1976) coaches once completed. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter to stay updated!

View all Behind the Coaching Coach Profiles

If a coach’s tenure spans into the 1980s or longer, their tenure with that team will be listed as long as it started anywhere between 1970-1979.

These coach profiles are intended and were created to be informative for our readers and fans of basketball, the NBA, and/or sports in general. Behind the Coaching is NOT affiliated with any of the persons of interest within the NBA unless it’s ever specified in one of our articles or profiles for that particular coach.

Please note that as more profiles are created, updates will be made to the older profiles/pages to better connect these coaches with other teams and coaches, in other terms, it’s a WORK IN PROGRESS.

Disclaimer: These profiles are created purely for information purposes and are only maintained and updated by the site’s editors, not the person of interest. These profiles have no official relation to the actual coach, league, team, or person unless stated otherwise.

Featured Coaches

Red Holzman

Coach Red Holzman was one of the most influential coaches in NBA history and is considered one the greatest in New York Knicks history. In 1970 and 1973, The New York Knicks won the NBA championship. As of 2026, Coach Holzman holds the record for most regular season and playoff wins in Knicks history.

Read more on Red Holzman (Profile Coming Soon)

Bill Sharman

Coach Bill Sharman was known for his ability to modernize the “shootaround” portion of practices and pre-game preparation. Coming off a championship with the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association, Sharman and his assistant coach Larry Creger took the helm of the Los Angeles Lakers and won the 1972 NBA championship, the team’s first since relocating to Los Angeles.

Profile Coming Soon!

Tom Heinsohn

Coach Tom Heinsohn is the 3rd coach in NBA history to win a championship for the same team he played and coached, joining Buddy Jennette and Bill Russell. Winning 2 more championships in 1974 and 1976 to add to the Boston Celtics trophy case, Heinsohn has the 2nd most regular season coaching wins and the 4th most playoff wins in Celtics history.

Profile Coming Soon!

Al Attles

Coach Al Attles is one of the most influential figures in both NBA and Golden State Warriors history. Having played 11 seasons for the Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors, Attles coached the Warriors in 3 different stints, 2 as an assistant and 1 as a head coach. In 1975, Led by Attles and assistant coach Joe Roberts, who took the acting head coach role when Attles was ejected in the 1975 finals, won the championship, the third in Warriors history.

Profile Coming Soon!

Jack Ramsay

Coach Dr. Jack Ramsay was known for his empathized teaching of the fundamentals of basketball and of course his choice in fashion with his iconic suits. He won the team’s first championship in the 1977 finals, which included an impactful offense by assistant coach Jack McKinney, and a strong performance by Hall of Famer Bill Walton. Ramsay holds the record for most regular season coaching wins in Trail Blazers history.

Profile Coming soon!

Head Coaches

  • Rolland Todd
    • Portland Trail Blazers (1970-1972)
  • Lenny Wilkens
    • Seattle SuperSonics (1969-1972)
    • Portland Trail Blazers (1974-1976)
  • Tex Winter
    • Houston Rockets (1971-1973)

Assistant Coaches

NBA 1970s Coaches in our Media

Coming Soon! Read our other NBA articles in the meantime!