This is a list of NBA All-Star Game head coaches. The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is an annual basketball exhibition game held during the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season. For most of its history, the All-Star Game was played between the Western Conference All-Stars and the Eastern Conference All-Stars, where the head coach for each All-Star team was the coach of the NBA team with the best record from their respective conference. From the 2018 to the 2023 game, the format of the game was slightly altered. The starters and reserves were chosen as usual, but the two captains (one from each conference) draft their team from those starters and reserves. The coaches are also selected as usual, and matched with the captain from their respective conference. For the 2025 game, the format was changed to a tournament style, pitting four teams of eight players each. Three teams would be represented by the NBA All-Stars, while a fourth team would be represented by the winning team of the Rising Stars Challenge composed of NBA rookies and sophomores plus NBA G League standouts. The coaches selected remain the same as previous All-Star Games, randomly assigned to one of the three All-Star teams. The remaining All-Star team and the Rising Stars team would be coached by the assistant coach from one of the head coach's NBA teams. The 2026 game retained the tournament format, but would feature two teams composed of U.S.-born All-Stars and one team composed of international All-Stars. In a unique twist, three head coaches were selected for the tournament, with the international team being coached by a foreign-born head coach.
To ensure that a different coach represents their conference each year, there is a rule against a head coach making a consecutive appearance. Instead, the coach with the next best record is selected. This rule is known as the "Riley Rule" and was introduced in the early 1990s after the dominance of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers team in the Western Conference, which was coached by Pat Riley.
Only Lenny Wilkens (SuperSonics, Cavaliers, and Hawks), Alex Hannum (Hawks, Warriors, and 76ers), and Doc Rivers (Celtics, 76ers, and Bucks) have represented three separate teams as the All-Star Game coach. Red Auerbach, the head coach for the Boston Celtics between 1950 and 1966, coached the most All-Star Games with 11 appearances.
Darko Rajaković became the first full foreign-born coach to be selected as an All-Star Game head coach, having been selected to coach for the "World" All-Star team in the 2026 game.
17 of the coaches previously appeared in the All-Star Game as a player, with player-coach Bobby Wanzer being the first person to appear in the NBA All-Star Game as a player and as a coach, doing so in 1957 after previously appearing in the All-Star Game five times from 1952 to 1956. The list includes: Wanzer, Ed Macauley, Paul Seymour, Fred Schaus, Bill Sharman, Richie Guerin, Gene Shue, Larry Costello, Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham, Lenny Wilkens, Paul Westphal, Rudy Tomjanovich, Doug Collins, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and Doc Rivers.
Key ^Denotes coach who is currently coaching an NBA team*Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coachCoach (X)Denotes the number of times the coach has been selected, up to and including that season
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Eastern Division / Conference (1951–2017) Year Head coach Team Ref. 1951 New York Knicks 1952 Syracuse Nationals 1953 (2) New York Knicks 1954 (3) New York Knicks 1955 (2) Syracuse Nationals 1956 Philadelphia Warriors 1957 * Boston Celtics 1958 * (2) Boston Celtics 1959 * (3) Boston Celtics 1960 * (4) Boston Celtics 1961 * (5) Boston Celtics 1962 * (6) Boston Celtics 1963 * (7) Boston Celtics 1964 * (8) Boston Celtics 1965 * (9) Boston Celtics 1966 * (10) Boston Celtics 1967 * (11) NoneRed Auerbach stepped down from the Boston Celtics' head coaching position at the end of the . 1968 * (3) Philadelphia 76ers 1969 Baltimore Bullets 1970 * New York Knicks 1971 * (2) New York Knicks 1972 * Boston Celtics 1973 * (2) Boston Celtics 1974 * (3) Boston Celtics 1975 Washington Bullets 1976 * (4) Boston Celtics 1977 (2) Philadelphia 76ers 1978 Philadelphia 76ers 1979 Washington Bullets 1980 (2) Philadelphia 76ers 1981 (3) Philadelphia 76ers 1982 * Boston Celtics 1983 (4) Philadelphia 76ers 1984 (2) Boston Celtics 1985 (3) Boston Celtics 1986 (4) Boston Celtics 1987 (5) Boston Celtics 1988 Atlanta Hawks 1989 * (3) Cleveland Cavaliers 1990 * Detroit Pistons 1991 Boston Celtics 1992 * Chicago Bulls 1993 * (9) New York Knicks 1994 * (4) Atlanta Hawks 1995 Orlando Magic 1996 * (2) Chicago Bulls 1997 Detroit Pistons 1998 Indiana Pacers 2000 New York Knicks 2001 * (2) Philadelphia 76ers 2002 New Jersey Nets 2003 Indiana Pacers 2004 ^ Indiana Pacers 2005 Miami Heat 2006 (2) Detroit Pistons 2007 Washington Wizards 2008 ^ Boston Celtics 2009 ^ Cleveland Cavaliers 2010 (2) Orlando Magic 2011 ^ (2) Boston Celtics 2012 Chicago Bulls 2013 ^ Miami Heat 2014 Indiana Pacers 2015 Atlanta Hawks 2016 ^ Cleveland Cavaliers 2017 Boston Celtics
Western Division / Conference (1951–2017) YearHead coach Team Ref. 1951 * Minneapolis Lakers 1952 * (2) Minneapolis Lakers 1953 * (3) Minneapolis Lakers 1954 * (4) Minneapolis Lakers 1955 Fort Wayne Pistons 1956 (2) Fort Wayne Pistons 1957 Rochester Royals 1958 * St. Louis Hawks 1959 St. Louis Hawks 1960 (2) St. Louis Hawks 1961 St. Louis Hawks 1962 Los Angeles Lakers 1963 (2) Los Angeles Lakers 1964 (3) Los Angeles Lakers 1965 * (2) San Francisco Warriors 1966 (4) Los Angeles Lakers 1967 (5) Los Angeles Lakers 1968 * San Francisco Warriors 1969 Atlanta Hawks 1970 (2) Atlanta Hawks 1971 Milwaukee Bucks 1972 * (2) Los Angeles Lakers 1973 * (3) Los Angeles Lakers 1974 (2) Milwaukee Bucks 1975 Golden State Warriors 1976 (2) Golden State Warriors 1977 * Denver Nuggets 1978 * Portland Trail Blazers 1979 * Seattle SuperSonics 1980 * (2) Seattle SuperSonics 1981 Phoenix Suns 1982 * Los Angeles Lakers 1983 * (2) Los Angeles Lakers 1984 Utah Jazz 1985 * (3) Los Angeles Lakers 1986 * (4) Los Angeles Lakers 1987 * (5) Los Angeles Lakers 1988 * (6) Los Angeles Lakers 1989 * (7) Los Angeles Lakers 1990 * (8) Los Angeles Lakers 1991 * Portland Trail Blazers 1992 * Golden State Warriors 1993 Phoenix Suns 1994 * Seattle SuperSonics 1995 (2) Phoenix Suns 1996 * (2) Seattle SuperSonics 1997 * Houston Rockets 1998 * (3) Seattle SuperSonics 2000 * (3) Los Angeles Lakers 2001 * (2) Sacramento Kings 2002 * (2) Dallas Mavericks 2003 * (3) Sacramento Kings 2004 Minnesota Timberwolves 2005 * San Antonio Spurs 2006 Dallas Mavericks 2007 Phoenix Suns 2008 (2) New Orleans Hornets 2009 * (4) Los Angeles Lakers 2010 * (4) Denver Nuggets 2011* (2) San Antonio Spurs 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder 2013* (3) San Antonio Spurs 2014 (2) Oklahoma City Thunder 2015 ^ Golden State Warriors 2016* (4) San Antonio Spurs 2017 ^ (2) Golden State Warriors
Unconferenced format (2018–2023) Year Head coach Team All-Star Team Ref.2018 Toronto Raptors Team LeBron (2) Houston Rockets Team Steph2019 (2) Milwaukee Bucks Team Giannis Denver Nuggets Team LeBron2020 Nick Nurse^ Toronto Raptors Team Giannis (2) Los Angeles Lakers Team LeBron2021 Doc Rivers^ (3) Philadelphia 76ers Team Durant ^ Utah Jazz Team LeBron2022 Monty Williams Phoenix Suns Team LeBron Erik Spoelstra^ (2) Miami Heat Team Durant2023 (2) Denver Nuggets Team LeBron Joe Mazzulla^ Boston Celtics Team Giannis
Eastern Conference (2024) Year Head coach Team Ref. 2024 ^ (4) Milwaukee Bucks
Western Conference (2024) Year Head coach Team Ref. 2024 ^ Minnesota Timberwolves
Tournament format (2025–present) Year Head coach Team All-Star Team Ref.2025Jordan Ott^ Cleveland Cavaliers Candace's Rising StarsMark Daigneault^ Oklahoma City Thunder Chuck's Global Stars Dave Bliss Oklahoma City Thunder Kenny's Young StarsKenny Atkinson^ Cleveland Cavaliers Shaq's OGs2026J. B. Bickerstaff^ Detroit Pistons USA StarsMitch Johnson^ San Antonio Spurs USA StripesDarko Rajaković^ Toronto Raptors Team World
Most selections Head coach # Selections 11 – (East) 9 –; – (West) (East) 5 ; – (East) 5 –; – (West) 4 – (West) 4 –; (East) 4 ; –; (East) 4 – (West); (East) 4 ; (East); (West) 4 ; ; ; (West) 4 ; ; ; (West) 4 ; ; (East) (Unconferenced) 3 ; – (East) 3 ; – (West) 3 ; (West) (East) 3 ; ; (West)
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