Alex Hannum
2× NBA Champion | NBA Coach of the Year | Hall of Fame Coach
Alex Hannum was born on July 19, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. He played college basketball at USC and spent 8 seasons as a professional player before becoming one of the most successful coaches of his era.
Hannum coached five NBA franchises and became the first coach to lead two different NBA teams to championships, winning with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958 and Philadelphia 76ers in 1967.
He finished his NBA head-coaching career with a 471-412 regular-season record and a 45-34 playoff record. His later ABA coaching record of 178–152 is not included in the NBA’s historical totals.
Hannum was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1998. Coach Hannum passed away on January 18, 2002, at the age of 78.
- Overall Coaching Record: 471-412
Coaching Career
Hannum took over the St. Louis Hawks during the 1956-1957 season and guided the team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in 7 games.
The following season, St. Louis went 41-31 and returned to the Finals. The Hawks defeated Boston in 6 games to win the 1958 NBA championship.
Hannum resigned after the championship season.
Notable Players Coached
- Bob Pettit
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1958 NBA champion
- 2× NBA MVP
- Cliff Hagan
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1958 NBA champion
- 5× NBA All-Star
- Slater Martin
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 5× NBA champion
- 7× NBA All-Star
Hannum returned to the NBA as head coach of the Syracuse Nationals in 1960.
The Nationals reached the playoffs in all three seasons under Hannum and went 48-32 in his final year with the franchise.
He left Syracuse in 1963 to become head coach of the San Francisco Warriors.
Notable Players Coached
- Dolph Schayes
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 12× NBA All-Star
- Hal Greer
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1967 NBA champion
- 10× NBA All-Star
- Johnny Kerr
- 1955 NBA champion
- 3× NBA All-Star
Hannum became head coach of the San Francisco Warriors for the 1963-1964 season.
The Warriors won the Western Division and reached the 1964 NBA Finals before losing to Boston. Hannum was named NBA Coach of the Year.
He remained with San Francisco through the 1965-1966 season.
Notable Players Coached
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 4× NBA MVP
- 2× NBA champion
- Nate Thurmond
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 7× NBA All-Star
- Guy Rodgers
- 4× NBA All-Star
Hannum reunited with Wilt Chamberlain when he became head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1966.
Philadelphia went 68-13 in 1966-1967, defeated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals, and beat the San Francisco Warriors to win the NBA championship.
The 76ers returned to the Eastern Division Finals in 1968 before losing to Boston. Hannum left the NBA after the season for an ABA coaching position.
Notable Players Coached
- Wilt Chamberlain
- 1967 NBA champion
- 1967 NBA MVP
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Hal Greer
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1967 NBA champion
- 10× NBA All-Star
- Billy Cunningham
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1967 NBA champion
- 5× NBA All-Star
- Chet Walker
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1967 NBA champion
- 7× NBA All-Star
Hannum returned to the NBA during the 1969-1970 season as head coach of the San Diego Rockets.
He went 18-38 in his first partial season and 40-42 in 1970-1971.
Hannum resigned after the 1970-1971 season. His later Denver coaching years were in the ABA and are outside the BAA/NBA record used for this profile.
Notable Players Coached
- Elvin Hayes
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1978 NBA champion
- 12× NBA All-Star
- Calvin Murphy
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1979 NBA All-Star