Rick Carlisle

Rick Carlisle is in his 12th season as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. He was hired by Dallas in May of 2008, and is the third-longest tenured head coach in the league behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich (hired in December 1996) and Miami’s Erick Spoelstra (April 2008). Carlisle became the winningest coach in Mavericks history with a 103-93 victory at the L.A. Lakers on Nov. 1, 2015, passing Don Nelson (339) with his 340th win with the franchise.

Carlisle has led his team to the playoffs 12 times in his 17 seasons as a head coach. He guided the Mavericks to their first-ever world championship in 2011, while posting an impressive 16-5 mark during the 2011 postseason. Carlisle, who won a title as a player with Boston in 1986, is one of only 14 individuals to win an NBA championship as both a player and a head coach. He recorded his 750th career victory with Dallas’ 129-127 overtime win at Memphis on 4/7/19, becoming the 17th coach in NBA history to reach the milestone.

Carlisle, who was named the ninth Dallas coach in franchise history on May 9, 2008, led the Mavericks to the postseason in seven of his first 11 seasons with the team. Carlisle joined the Mavericks after spending six seasons, with Detroit and Indiana, as a head coach. He served as an ESPN studio analyst during the 2007-08 NBA season before coming to Dallas.

Carlisle began his head coaching career with Detroit. During his two-season tenure, the Pistons won 61% (100-64) of their games to go along with two Central Division championships and one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Following his first season as head coach in 2002, Carlisle earned the NBA’s Coach of the Year award.

Carlisle joined Indiana as the head coach on Sept. 2, 2003. In his first year, Carlisle led the Pacers to the NBA’s best record (61-21), the most victories in franchise history, the best winning percentage in team history (.744) and a Central Division championship. He also led the Pacers to the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals where they eventually lost to the Pistons.

Carlisle, including his previous two seasons with Detroit, became the first coach since Pat Riley to win 50 games and division championships in each of his first three seasons as a head coach. Overall, Carlisle earned a 181-147 (.552) regular season record in Indiana and led the team to three consecutive postseason appearances before stepping down following the 2006-07 campaign.

Carlisle began his coaching career in 1989 as an assistant with the New Jersey Nets. In five seasons with the Nets, he had the opportunity to work under Hall of Fame coaching legends Bill Fitch and Chuck Daly. Carlisle then moved on to Portland, where he spent three seasons as an assistant under P.J. Carlesimo before joining former teammate Larry Bird’s staff in Indiana during the summer of 1997.

In 1984, Carlisle began his NBA career as the only rookie to make the Boston Celtics roster. He spent three seasons in Boston and enjoyed his best year as a pro when he averaged 9.9 minutes in 77 games for the 1986 world champions. He then played one year with the New York Knicks under head coach Rick Pitino before moving on to New Jersey, where he played briefly for Fitch before being offered an assistant coaching position with the franchise.

Collegiately, Carlisle played two years at the University of Maine before transferring to the University of Virginia, where he was co-captain of the Cavaliers’ 1984 Final Four team. A native of Ogdensburg, N.Y., he graduated in 1984 with a B.A. in psychology from Virginia. Carlisle and his wife, Donna, have a daughter, Abby. He enjoys golf, piano, table tennis and spending time with his family, which includes two dogs, Zoe and Daisy.