Kevin Loughery
Two-Time ABA Champion | NBA and ABA Head Coach
Kevin Michael Loughery was born March 28, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, and played college basketball at Boston College and St. John’s before building an eleven-season NBA career as a guard. His time with Detroit, Baltimore and Philadelphia put him alongside very different generations of players and prepared him for the unusual coaching path that followed. When Philadelphia’s 1972–73 season collapsed, Loughery took over the 76ers’ bench with just 31 games remaining. He could not reverse a historically bad campaign, but that difficult introduction did not define his career.
The New York Nets hired Loughery in 1973, and he became one of the most successful coaches in the American Basketball Association’s final years. With Julius Erving anchoring the team, Loughery directed the Nets to the 1974 and 1976 ABA titles and compiled a 168–84 ABA regular-season record. He stayed after the 1976 merger, navigating the franchise’s transition into the NBA and its move to New Jersey. Later assignments in Atlanta, Chicago and Washington brought him into contact with emerging stars, including Dominique Wilkins and rookie Michael Jordan, as well as teams trying to regain a playoff foothold.
His final head-coaching stop, with expansion-era Miami, produced the Heat’s first playoff appearance in 1992 and the franchise’s first winning season in 1993–94. Loughery finished with a 474–662 NBA regular-season record, separate from his 168–84 ABA mark; both totals are essential to understanding his career. He is notable not only for two ABA championships but for the range of situations he managed—from a 9–73 Philadelphia team to the first successes of a new NBA franchise.
Overall NBA regular-season head-coaching record: 474–662. Assistant-coaching service is documented separately and is not assigned a personal win–loss record.
168–84 ABA regular-season record; two ABA championships (1974, 1976).
Coaching Career
Philadelphia’s troubled 1972–73 season had already deteriorated when Rubin was dismissed in January and Loughery, still a player, became interim head coach. The 76ers went 5–26 in his 31 games and finished 9–73 overall. That team result should not be mistaken for his individual mark, nor should the last-place season erase the unusual experience of managing a roster while participating in it as a veteran guard. The episode introduced him to NBA head coaching under exceptionally difficult conditions.
Notable Players Coached
The Nets brought Loughery into the ABA in 1973, and the franchise’s attack centered on the extraordinary talents of Julius Erving. New York went 55–29 and won the 1974 title, posted 58 wins the following season, then won a second championship in 1976. Loughery was 168–84 in those three ABA regular seasons and 21–11 in the ABA playoffs. The titles were earned in a separate league and should be credited as ABA, not NBA, championships; they remain the signature achievements of his professional coaching career.
Notable Players Coached
Loughery remained in charge as the Nets entered the NBA in 1976, lost important ABA-era roster continuity and shifted their home from New York to New Jersey. His first two NBA Nets seasons produced 22 and 24 victories; the club improved to 37–45 and reached the playoffs in 1978–79. Forward Bernard King and guard John Williamson were among the figures of that transition. Loughery stepped down in December 1980, ending an assignment that spanned two leagues, changing financial realities and the franchise’s early attempts to find stability after the merger.
Notable Players Coached
Atlanta hired Loughery in 1981 to coach a club led by versatile frontcourt standout Dan Roundfield. The Hawks went 42–40 in 1981–82 and 43–39 in 1982–83, reaching the playoffs in both seasons. Dominique Wilkins arrived for Loughery’s second year, giving the franchise a young offensive centerpiece. His 85–79 Atlanta record captures modest but meaningful progress: consecutive winning seasons amid roster transition. He departed in June 1983 and accepted the Chicago job the next month.
Notable Players Coached
Chicago’s decision to hire Loughery preceded the draft of Michael Jordan. The Bulls won 27 games in 1983–84, then selected Jordan and improved to 38–44 in 1984–85, reaching the postseason for the first time in several years. Orlando Woolridge supplied another scoring threat, while Jordan’s rookie production changed the franchise’s trajectory. Loughery’s 65–99 record over two seasons represents the transition from a struggling team to one with a transformational young star. Chicago dismissed him after that second season.
Notable Players Coached
Washington hired Loughery late in 1985–86 following Gene Shue’s dismissal. The Bullets went 7–6 under him and won two playoff games that spring, then finished 42–40 and returned to the postseason in 1986–87. The roster included Moses Malone and Jeff Malone, and Loughery was charged with finding balance between an established scoring center and a changing supporting cast. A difficult 8–19 start in 1987–88 led to his dismissal in January. His Washington regular-season mark was 57–65.
Notable Players Coached
Loughery returned to Atlanta’s bench in 1990–91 as an assistant rather than the franchise’s head coach. The team was built around veteran Dominique Wilkins and finished with 43 wins before losing a first-round series to Detroit. This was a separate appointment after several seasons away from NBA coaching; its wins and losses belong to the Hawks’ head coach, not Loughery’s personal head-coaching total. The one-season role preceded his appointment to lead Miami.
Notable Players Coached
Loughery took over the young Miami Heat in 1991 and immediately produced a 38–44 season and the franchise’s first playoff berth. Miami missed the postseason in 1992–93 but went 42–40 in 1993–94, its first winning season, with Glen Rice and Steve Smith prominent in the offense. The Heat again reached the playoffs and pushed Atlanta to five games in the opening round. Loughery was dismissed in February 1995 after a 17–29 start. His Miami tenure was 133–159, reflecting important early franchise milestones even without a deep playoff run.
