A complete history of Rockets head coaches: Records, notable accomplishments and more

Some NBA fans underestimate the importance of a head coach. Don't make that mistake. It is, in the parlance of the youth, the mark of a "casual".

The Houston Rockets should know the importance of a quality head coach. They've seen plenty of brilliant minds lead this team throughout the years. They've also seen some...

...Well, let's say less than brilliant minds.

Here, we'll look at them all. We're going to give you a comprehensive overview of every head coach in Rockets history. We'll look at the highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. Here's every coach in Houston Rockets history, and their achievements (or, in some cases, lack thereof).

List of Houston Rockets Head Coaches

Jack McMahon

Years Coached: 1968-1970

Overall Record: 61-129

Playoff Appearances: 1

Playoff Wins: 2

We'll start with the obvious: McMahon was the first coach in Rockets history. At that time, they were the San Diego Rockets.

Otherwise, we'll give him credit for dragging this team to the postseason in their infancy stages. McMahon led the 1968-69 San Diego Rockets to the postseason with a 37-45 record. Notable players on that team included Elvin Hayes, Pat Riley and Rick Adleman.

Alex Hannum

Years Coached: 1970-1971

Overall Record: 58-80

Playoff Appearances: 0

Playoff Wins: 0

There's not much to see here. Hannum coached the San Diego Rockets for two seasons. He missed the playoffs in each of those years. Perhaps the Rockets should have employed Rudy Tomjanovich as a player-coach on those teams...

We'll be discussing him at great lengths in this piece.

Tex Winter

Years Coached: 1972-1973

Overall Record: 51-78

Playoff Appearances: 0

Playoff Wins: 0

We can't mention Tex Winter without mentioning the triangle offense. Winter is credited as having created that legendary attack.

His ingenuity didn't do much for the Rockets. Winter's tenure with the team was unremarkable, even if his career in basketball was exceptional. He does hold the distinction of being the first man to coach the Rockets in Houston, but he was fired after 18 games in 1973.

Johnny Egan

Years Coached: 1973-1976

Overall Record: 129-152

Playoff Appearances: 1

Playoff Wins: 3

Egan coached the Rockets to a .500 season in 1974-75. At this juncture in their history, that counts as an accomplishment. The team won their first-round series against the New York Knicks before being defeated by the Celtics in the second round.

Tom Nissalke

Years Coached: 1977-1979

Overall Record: 124-122

Playoff Appearances:2

Playoff Wins: 6

Nissalke is the first coach to appear on this list with a winning record. At 124-122, it would be fair to say he was the best coach in Rockets history at this time.

His best year with the team was his list. During the 1978-79 season, Nissalke led the Rockets to a 47-35 record. Still, a first-round exit was disappointing for a roster featuring Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, and an aging Rick Barry.

Del Harris

Years Coached: 1980-1983

Overall Record: 141-187

Playoff Appearances: 3

Playoff Wins: 15

We're starting to transition into a more successful time in Rockets history. The playoffs were an expectation by the dawn of the 80s.

Harris saw the Rockets through 3 playoff runs. Still, he wasn't able to rise above mediocrity. After another disappointing first-round exit in 1981-82, the team would trade Moses Malone to improve their fortunes in the upcoming lottery.

If you know the first thing about this franchise, you know what happens next.

Bill Fitch

Years Coached: 1984-1988

Overall Record: 214-194

Playoff Appearances: 4

Playoff Wins: 21

To quote the late, great Notorious B.I.G:

"It was all a dream".

Specifically, it was Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. Fitch was coaching the team during his early years alongside Ralph Sampson. His best year with the team would come in 1985-86 when the Rockets would advance to the NBA Finals.

Eventually, Sampson's body would fail him. The Rockets would be forced to retool around Olajuwon. It seems they felt they should find a new head coach to usher in their new era.

Don Chaney

Years Coached: 1989-1992

Overall Record: 164-134

Playoff Appearances: 3

Playoff Wins: 2

Nobody said that new era would form overnight.

The Rockets weren't bad under Chaney. They just didn't live up to their own lofty expectations. He didn't last long with the squad, as they failed to get out of the first round during his tenure.

Rudy Tomjanovich

Years Coached: 1992-2003

Overall Record: 503-397

Playoff Appearances: 7

Playoff Wins: 51

Let's not mince words. Tomjanovich is unequivocally the best coach in Houston Rockets history.

He coached the team to back-to-back NBA championships in 1993-94 and 1994-95. Tomjanovich's 4-out spacing around Olajuwon was instrumental in shaping offensive concepts around the league today. Moreover, Tomjanovich gave Houston the most iconic quote in franchise history:

"Never underestimate the heart of a champion".

Jeff Van Gundy

Years Coached: 2004-2007

Overall Record: 182-146

Playoff Appearances: 3

Playoff Wins: 7

How do you follow up an act like Rudy T?

Well, drafting Yao Ming helps. Van Gundy had the privilege of coaching the Chinese big man. Along with Tracy McGrady, they led the team to a 52-30 season in 2006-07. A disappointing first-round loss to the Jazz led to Van Gundy's swift dismissal.

Rick Adleman

Years Coached: 2007-2011

Overall Record: 193-135

Playoff Appearances: 2

Playoff Wins: 9

Unlike Van Gundy, Adleman had no Ming. He coached some scrappy, competitive Rockets teams that were light on star power.

For some fans, these are the dark ages. For others, they're remembered fondly. There was something satisfying about rooting for Louis Scola and Kevin Martin to lead the Rockets to glory, but it was depressing knowing that - well, they wouldn't.

The Rockets would eventually choose a different direction, and Adleman wasn't part of it.

Kevin McHale

Years Coached: 2012-2016

Overall Record: 193-130

Playoff Appearances: 3

Playoff Wins: 13

The new direction? James Harden.

McHale was his first Rockets coach. They had some good years together, even advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2014-15.

Yet, McHale feels like a transitional coach, doesn't he? Harden and Dwight Howard never quite meshed. When the Rockets opted to lean into Harden's abilities, they went and found a philosophically compatible coach.

Mike D'Antoni

Years Coached: 2017-2020

Overall Record: 217-101

Playoff Appearances: 4

Playoff Wins: 28

We're not crying. You're crying.

Sorry. It's just, life was good, wasn't it? The Rockets were in the championship picture. They were breaking offensive records. We like where the organization is heading, but they'll be lucky to replicate the success of the D'Antoni era. Still, it felt like this started falling apart after a Western Conference Finals trip in 2017-18.

Stephen Silas

Years Coached: 2021-2023

Overall Record: 59-177

Playoff Appearances: 0

Playoff Wins: 0

We're not crying. OK, fine - we're crying.

No, but jokes aside, we feel bad for Silas. He was dealt a bad hand. The Rockets were explicitly tanking during his entire time with the team, and his record reflects it. When winning time came around, Silas was out.

Ime Udoka

Years Coached: 2024

Overall Record: 41-41

Playoff Appearances: 0

Playoff Wins: 0

Welcome to the present. Ime Udoka is the current head coach of the Rockets.

We were impressed with his first season. Udoka established a tough, defense-first identity for the Rockets. If it carries into 2024-25, and some of the young Rockets show improvement, we may be updating playoff appearances and wins by the end of the year.

Notable Accomplishments

We'll start with Tomjanovich. The back-to-back championships he won in 1993-94 and 1994-95 are the prized accomplishments in Rockets history.

D'Antoni oversaw the most winningest regular season in Rockets history in 2017-18. They won 65 games that year.

Still, it was Rick Adleman who was coaching the Rockets during their all-time longest winning streak. Their 22 wins in a row was the second-longest streak in NBA history in 2007-08.