Indiana Pacers’ Rick Carlisle has already spent 35 years as a coach in the NBA.
The NBA is an ever-changing league with each era full of talented stars who dominate the league with their skills on the hardwood.
On top of the players, NBA head coaches certainly play a role in shaping an era with their unique strategies and whatnot.
If there’s one current NBA coach who has stood the test of time, it’s none other than Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle.
Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty ImagesRick Carlisle’s early coaching journey
As an NBA player, Carlisle’s career lasted only five seasons, but he still retired as a champion, thanks to winning the 1986 title with the Boston Celtics.
Following his early retirement, Carlisle joined the New Jersey Nets as an assistant coach in 1989. The stint lasted five seasons, and he then joined the Portland Trail Blazers.
With another brief three-season run with the Trail Blazers, he joined the Pacers in the same capacity before landing his first head coaching job with the Detroit Pistons in 2001.
Carlisle had a phenomenal start to his coaching career as he was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2001-02 season. But once again, the former NBA champion stint was short-lived in Detroit, albeit the Pistons went 100-64 under his leadership.
Being a former Coach of the Year winner, the Pacers quickly hired him as a head coach. The franchise made three playoff appearances during his four-year stint with the Pacers. That included an Eastern Conference Finals battle with the Pistons in 2004.
Rick Carlisle found a new home with the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Indiana Pacers
Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
With Dirk Nowitzki still in the prime of his career, the Dallas Mavericks brought Carlisle in as head coach in 2008.
The partnership was fruitful as Carlisle led the Mavs to their sole NBA Championship in franchise history. Carlisle would go on to spend 13 seasons in Dallas before resigning from his post in 2021.
With Luka Doncic becoming the face of the franchise, it’s plausible that Carlisle’s methods simply didn’t intrigue the Slovenian star.
However, coach Carlisle wasn’t done as he immediately rejoined the Pacers. Although the move confused fans initially, Carlisle’s arrival has elevated the Pacers to championship contenders.
The franchise made it to the ECF in 2024 and made it to the 2025 NBA Finals, all under Carlisle’s guidance. The Pacers pushed the heavy-favorites Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games on the grand stage.
Unfortunately, Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles tendon injury in Game 7 squashed the franchise’s hopes of winning an NBA title.