Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
Author: Anthony Vlahovic
Last Updated: 31 October, 2025
2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year Odds
The sheer amount of talent in the NBA is off the charts, but only a select few coaches can harness all that talent and get them to work together and buy into a system. Heading into the 2024-25 season, CLE Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson took over a roster that hadn't met its potential in years prior, and by getting them to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, he earned himself the Coach of the Year Award.
The Coach of the Year Award is not just handed to the coach whose team had the best record. Several factors could be considered, including whether a team exceeded expectations or achieved success despite numerous injuries. As we've seen over the years, coaches in their first year with a team can have a slight edge in this award, and this year, new Nuggets coach Dave Adelman opened as the favorite. However, early in the season, Mitchell Johnson has found his way to the top of the odds board. Down below, we'll break down the best prices for all the Head Coaches in the league across the top sportsbooks.
2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year - Best Odds
Coach | Opening odds | Current Best Odds |
|---|---|---|
Mitchell Johnson | +1000 | +500 (DraftKings) |
Nick Nurse | +2000 | +1000 (DraftKings*) |
Billy Donovan | +20000 | +1400 (Bet365*) |
Erik Spoelstra | +2000 | +1400 (Bet365*) |
JB Bickerstaff | +1200 | +1500 (FanDuel*) |
Mike Brown | +1800 | +1500 (DraftKings*) |
Jamahl Mosley | +750 | +1600 (DraftKings) |
Darko Rajakovic | +5000 | +2000 (DraftKings) |
Quin Snyder | +650 | +2000 (DraftKings) |
Steve Kerr | +5000 | +2200 (FanDuel) |
Dave Adelman | +500 | +2500 (FanDuel*) |
Mark Daigneault | +3300 | +2500 (FanDuel) |
Ime Udoka | +700 | +2500 (DraftKings) |
JJ Redick | +1200 | +3000 (FanDuel*) |
Tyronn Lue | +2000 | +3000 (DraftKings) |
Joe Mazzulla | +1400 | +3000 (DraftKings) |
Doc Rivers | +5000 | +3000 (DraftKings) |
Chris Finch | +2000 | +4000 (DraftKings) |
Tuomas Iisalo | +5000 | +4000 (DraftKings) |
Jason Kidd | +2000 | +4000 (DraftKings*) |
Charles Lee | +2500 | +4000 (FanDuel) |
Rick Carlisle | +2500 | +5000 (DraftKings) |
Willie Green | +3300 | +7500 (DraftKings) |
Kenny Atkinson | +2000 | +10,000 (Bet365*) |
Jordan Ott | +5000 | +10,000 (DraftKings) |
Will Hardy | +10000 | +10,000 (FanDuel) |
Doug Christie | +5000 | +10,000 (FanDuel*) |
Jordi Fernandez | +10000 | +20,000 (DraftKings) |
Brian Keefe | +20000 | +20,000 (DraftKings) |
Odds as of October 30, 2025
Opening Odds from Bet365
* = The same odds are offered by multiple sportsbooks
2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year- Top10 Contenders
Coach | Bet365 | FanDuel | DraftKings |
|---|---|---|---|
Mitchell Johnson | +475 | +470 | +500 |
Nick Nurse | +1000 | +1000 | +900 |
Billy Donovan | +1400 | +1400 | +1300 |
Erik Spoelstra | +1400 | +1400 | +1200 |
JB Bickerstaff | +1400 | +1500 | +1500 |
Jamahl Mosley | +1400 | +1500 | +1600 |
Mike Brown | +1400 | +1500 | +1500 |
Darko Rajakovic | +1600 | +1500 | +2000 |
Quin Snyder | +1600 | +1500 | +2000 |
Doc Rivers | +2000 | +1400 | +3000 |
*Odds of October 30, 2025
Current Favorites
Mitchell Johnson (San Antonio Spurs): For the first time in nearly three decades, the San Antonio Spurs have a new head coach. After Greg Popovich moved to the front office, the Spurs turned to first-time head coach Mitch Johnson to lead their young but exciting roster. Well, the organization certainly couldn't have asked for a better start to Johnson's tenure, as the Spurs are 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. With Victor Wembenyama playing at an MVP caliber level, the Spurs are also second in the league in point differential.
Nick Nurse (Philadelphia 76ers): Injuries have hindered a lot of people's trust in the process, and while guys like Joel Embiid are healthy to start this season, the Sixers' early success stems from the play of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Behind that duo, Nick Nurse's Sixers have opened the year 4-0 while ranking second in the league in points per 100 possessions in non-garbage-time, per CleaningTheGlass.
Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls): The Bulls still have a very young roster, but with Donovan's ability to develop players like Matas Buzelis, they are off to a 4-0 start. While we are still very early in the season, Donovan has seemingly transformed the Bulls' defense, as they rank 4th in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions in non-garbage time, up from 18th last season (CleaningTheGlass).
2024-25 Coach of the Year Winner
Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers): In his first season as the Cavs' head coach, Atkinson guided his team to a 64-18 regular season record, which was good enough to earn Cleveland the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs were a solid team last season, but under Atkinson's system, they ranked first in points per 100 possessions in non-garbage time (122.5), per Cleaning the Glass. Cleveland also produced the second-best point differential in the league during the regular season and became only the second team in NBA history to have three separate winning streaks of at least 12 games.
NBA Coach of the Year 2024-25 Voting
Rank - Coach | Total points | 1st place votes |
|---|---|---|
1. Kenny Atkinson | 401 | 59 |
2. J.B. Bickerstaff | 305 | 31 |
3. Ime Udoka | 113 | 7 |
4. Mark Daigneault | 41 | 2 |
5. Tyronn Lue | 35 | 1 |
6. JJ Redick | 5 | 0 |
Past Coach of the Year Winners
Season | Coach | Team | Opening odds |
|---|---|---|---|
2024-25 | Kenny Atkinson | Cleveland Cavaliers | +1800 |
2023-24 | Mark Daigneault | Oklahoma City Thunder | +700 |
2022-23 | Mike Brown | Sacramento Kings | +8000 |
2021-22 | Monty Williams | Phoenix Suns | +2000 |
2020-21 | Tom Thibodeau | New York Knicks | +8000 |
2019-20 | Nick Nurse | Toronto Raptors | +2000 |
2018-19 | Mike Budenholzer | Milwaukee Bucks | +1100 |
2017-18 | Dwane Casey | Toronto Raptors | +3000 |
2016-17 | Mike D'Antoni | Houston Rockets | +3000 |
2015-16 | Steve Kerr | Golden State Warriors | +575 |
2014-15 | Mike Budenholzer | Atlanta Hawks | +25000 |
Coach of the Year Trends: When Excellence Isn’t Enough
Voter fatigue is a commonly used phrase for the NBA award season, and it most certainly applies to Coach of the Year voting. A coach may lead their team to the best record in the NBA one season, and that could earn them the award. However, if they do the same thing the following year, it may not be enough to win the award again.
Does this phenomenon make sense? No. But is it something to remember when placing futures on the award? Absolutely. If you look back at some of the great dynasties in the NBA, a casual fan may think the coach of that team would win Coach of the Year, but that has proven not to be the case.
Most recently, the Golden State Warriors reached the NBA Finals every year from 2015 to 2019, winning the title in three of those seasons. Even with all that success, though, Steve Kerr has only won Coach of the Year once in his coaching career, and it came when Golden State won 73 games in 2016.
Voter fatigue can teach bettors a valuable lesson: there is no exact formula for winning this award. First-year coaches or coaches who turn around a struggling franchise always seem to get an advantage in markets such as this one, while experienced coaches who have sustained success may be overlooked when the votes come in.
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