Motta started his coaching career at Grace High School in Grace, Idaho, where he taught seventh grade and coached for two years before being drafted in the armed services, later returning to coach. 

Later in life, He once said in an interview that winning the state championship at Grace in 1959 was his greatest thrill as a coach, even topping the NBA championship he won two decades later.

In 1960, Dick Motta became the head coach of the Weber State Wildcats men’s basketball team at Weber State University. In 1964, Phil Johnson was hired as an assistant coach, Johnson would succeed Motta as the head coach of the Wildcats, beating his coaching wins record by 2. Johnson later was hired as an assistant on Motta’s staff on the Chicago Bulls and became Jerry Sloan’s right-hand man for 28 years on the Bulls and Utah Jazz.

Coach Motta and the Wildcats won 3 Big Sky Conference championships in 1965, 1966, and 1968. As of 2026, Motta holds the third most coaching wins in school history.

In 1968, Dick Motta secured his first coaching job becoming the head second head coach of the Chicago Bulls in their franchise history, passing Johnny “Red” Kerr.

From 1970 to 1974 he led the Bulls to four consecutive 50-win seasons. In 1971, Coach Motta won Coach of the Year. In 8 seasons with the team, they made the playoffs 7 times and reached 2 conference finals in 1974 and 1975.

Coach Motta remains the second most coaching wins in Bull History with a 356-300 coaching record.

Notable Players Coached

• Chet Walker (7x All-Star, Class of 2012 Naismith Hall of Fame)
• Bob Love (3x All-Star)
• Jerry Sloan (2x All Star & Future NBA Top 15 Head Coaches of all Time)
• Norm Van Lier (2x NBA All-Star)
• Tom Boerwinkle
• Clifford Ray (Future 1975 Champion with Golden State)
• Bob Weiss (Future 1978 NBA Champion with Washington under Motta)
• Mickey Johnson (Known as “Rubberman” for his ability to stretch and grab rebounds and block shots, despite his slender frame)

In 1976, Coach Motta replaced K.C. Jones as the head coach of the Washington Bullets. The Bullets made the playoffs every season under Motta. They reached the finals in 1978 and 1979, both times against the Seattle SuperSonics, they won the team’s first championship in 1978 in 5 games.

Motta remains as the 4th coach with the most coaching wins with a record of 185-143.

Notable Players

• Elvin Hayes (12x All-Star & Naismith Hall of Famer)
• Wes Unseld (5x All-Star & Naismith Hall of Famer)
• Bob Dandridge (Naismith Hall of Famer)
• Phil Chenier (3x All-Star)
• Kevin Grevey
• Tom Henderson
• Mitch Kupchak (1997 Rookie of the Year & Future NBA General Manager)

In 1980, the Dallas Mavericks entered the NBA as an expansion team, naming Motta as their first ever head coach. He would coach the Mavericks until 1987, finishing his first tenure with the Mavericks as he returned in 1994.

In 7 seasons as the head coach, the Mavericks made the playoffs 4 out of the 7 times, reaching 2 conference semi-finals as their ceiling.

In his first stint with the Mavericks, Motta had a 267-307 coaching record.

Notable Players Coached

• Ronaldo Blackman (4x All-Star)
• Mark Aguirre (3x All-Star. Future 2x Champion with Detroit)
• Derek Harper
• Jay Vincent (1979 NCAA Champion with the Michigan State Spartans)
• Sam Perkins (1982 NCAA Champion with the North Carolina Tar Heels)
• Brad Davis
• Kurt Nimphius
• Bill Wennington (Future 3x NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls)

In 1990, Coach Motta replaced Jerry Reynolds as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings after they had a 7-21 record. His tenure was short lived as he was fired on December 24, 1991, after a 7-18 start, a similar situation Jerry Reynolds faced when he was fired only the year before.

Notable Players Coached

• Lionel Simmons (1990 National Player of the Year & NBA All Rookie first team in 1991)
• Mitch Richmond
• Spud Webb
• Antoine Carr
• Ralph Sampson
• Kenny Smith
• Travis Mays
• Duane Causwell
• Harold Pressley

Coach Motta returned to the Mavericks after a 3-year coaching hiatus.

In 1994 Mavericks had debuted the “3 Js”, which included Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, and Jim Jackson.

Notable Players Coached

• Jason Kidd (10x All-Star, 1995 Rookie of the Year)
• Jamal Mashburn (2003 All-Star)
• Jim Jackson
• Popeye Jones
• Lorenzo Williams
• George McCloud
• Roy Tarpley
• Scott Brooks (Future NBA Coach of the Year)

Coach Motta replaced his former Washington assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets after an early 4-9 start. However, the Nuggets would later finish 21-61 and he was dismissed after the season, making Denver his last coaching position before retiring.

Notable Players Coached

• Dale Ellis (1989 All-Star, NBA All-Star, 1987 NBA Most Improved Player, & NBA Three-Point Contest champion)
• Antonio McDyess (2001 All-Star)
• Kenny “The Jet” Smith (2x NBA Champion)
• LaPhonso Ellis (1993 NBA All-Rookie First Team)

Motta believed in structure, repetition, and demanding practices. His teams were always among the best‑conditioned and most prepared.

Coach Motta had a defense first coaching style and empathized the importance of:

• physical man‑to‑man defense
• strong rebounding
• limiting mistakes
• controlling tempo

Motta excelled at developing:

• tough, reliable rotation players
• defensive specialists
• high‑IQ veterans

His coaching style was famously intense, but it forged resilient teams capable of deep playoff runs.

• Half‑court defensive pressure
• Structured offensive sets built around spacing and execution
• Rebounding as a core identity
• Conditioning as a competitive advantage
• Team‑first roles with clearly defined responsibilities