Richard Preston Carlisle ( ; born October 27, 1959) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach and former player who is the head coach for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

and

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

of the

(NBA).AFP: Mavericks reach four-year coaching deal with Carlisle
As a player, Carlisle played for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

, and New Jersey Nets. He is also one of only eleven people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.

Playing career

Carlisle was raised in Lisbon, New York. He attended Lisbon Central High School, then spent a year at

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...

. He played two years of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifi ...

from 1979 to 1981, before transferring to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

. Carlisle was a starter for the 1982–83 Virginia Cavaliers team that featured the three-time college player of the year Ralph Sampson. UVA was the number one ranked team in the country prior to being defeated by Chaminade on December 23, 1982. In the 1983 NCAA tournament, UVA was the number one seed in the West and made it to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual NCAA national champion North Carolina State. Carlisle was the co-captain on the 1983–84 Cavaliers team and helped lead them to the Final Four where they lost 49–47 in overtime to the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education instr ...

team led by Hakeem Olajuwon. Carlisle averaged 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game during his college career.

NBA

After graduating in 1984 Carlisle was selected 70th overall by the

in the 1984 NBA draft, where he played alongside

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

. Under Celtics' coach K. C. Jones he won the NBA championship in 1986 and lost in the finals in 1985 and 1987. In the 1986 NBA finals series, in limited playing time, Carlisle made every shot he took (3 for 3). In a limited reserve role from 1984 to 1987 Carlisle averaged 2.2 points, 1.0 assists and 0.8 rebounds per game. He then played for the

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) under Bill Musselman. He then signed as a free agent with the

, where he played under coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

alongside emerging star Patrick Ewing. In 1989, Carlisle played in five games with the New Jersey Nets under Bill Fitch.

Coaching career

Later in 1989, he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Nets, where he spent five seasons under Bill Fitch and Chuck Daly. In 1994, Carlisle joined the assistant coaching staff with the Portland Trail Blazers under coach P. J. Carlesimo, where he spent three seasons. In 1997, Carlisle joined the

organization as an assistant coach under former teammate,

. During his time as Pacers assistant coach, he helped the Pacers to two of their best seasons ever. First, in 1997–98, the Pacers stretched the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

to the limit, narrowly losing the deciding seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual NBA champion. Then, in 1999–2000 season, the Pacers made the NBA Finals for the first time, ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird stepped down as coach, and pushed for Carlisle to be selected as his replacement, but Pacers team president Donnie Walsh gave the job to

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for '' NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Gre ...

Detroit Pistons

For the 2001–02 season, Carlisle was hired by the

to be their new head coach. In two seasons as Pistons' head coach, Carlisle led the team to consecutive 50–32 records (.610) with Central Division titles and playoff appearances. He was named Coach of the Year in 2002. However, the Pistons fired Carlisle after the 2002–03 season with a year remaining on his contract and hired Larry Brown. Friction between Carlisle and team ownership was cited as one of the primary reasons for the firing. Carlisle's Pistons had just dispatched Brown's Philadelphia 76ers in the Conference Semifinals before being swept by the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Indiana Pacers

Stephen Jackson - Pacers Playoffs Huddle

For the 2003–04 season, Carlisle returned to the Pacers as head coach (Isiah Thomas had been fired, almost immediately after Larry Bird was brought back as the new President of Basketball Operations). In his first season, Carlisle led the Pacers to the Central Division title and NBA's best regular-season record at 61–21 (74.4%), setting a franchise record for wins (both in the NBA and ABA). In the playoffs, the team eliminated both the

and Miami Heat, before losing to the

in the Eastern Conference Finals. That year, he coached the East All-Stars at the All-Star Game. In 2005, the Pacers roster was decimated by injuries (most notably, those of Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley) and suspensions that were meted out after the Pacers–Pistons brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills, which resulted in Ron Artest being suspended for the rest of the season, Jackson being suspended for 30 games and O'Neal being suspended for 15 games. However, Carlisle was still able to rally the Pacers to the NBA Playoffs that season. As the sixth seed, they again defeated the

in the first round, before being defeated once again by the eventual Eastern Conference champion, the

. The Pacers slipped to a .500 record in 2005–06 and barely made the playoffs, losing in the first round. Despite this, Bird and Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh did not hold Carlisle responsible for the Pacers' lackluster performances in the past two seasons, and showed it in October 2006 when they signed Carlisle to a multiyear contract extension. The Pacers also gave him the additional title of executive vice president of basketball operations. After the Pacers finished the 2006–07 season with a 35–47 record (missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997), Bird fired Carlisle as head coach. Carlisle understood the decision, saying that the Pacers needed "a new voice." In four seasons with the Pacers, Carlisle compiled a 181–147 record. The Pacers offered to let Carlisle stay on in the front office, but Carlisle also resigned that post on June 12, 2007. After leaving Indiana, Carlisle worked as a studio analyst for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

before signing with the

as the team's new head coach.

Dallas Mavericks

On May 9, 2008, Carlisle signed a four-year deal with

Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to '' Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 lis ...

, replacing Avery Johnson. He led them to a 50–32 record including a first round win against the San Antonio Spurs. They would lose to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

1–4 in the Western Conference Semifinals. The next year, he coached the Mavs to a 55–27 record, first in Southwest Division and second in the West, but lost in the first round to the Spurs. In 2010, Dallas won sixteen of its first twenty games in a competitive Western Conference. The 2010–11 season was Carlisle's most successful as a head coach. The Mavericks finished the regular season with a 57–25 win–loss record. On May 8, 2011, they swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. On May 25, 2011, the Mavericks enjoyed a 4–1 series win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

in the Western Conference Finals, the first Conference Finals victory of his coaching career. In the 2011 NBA Finals, he coached the Mavericks to a 4–2 series victory over the Miami Heat for the franchise's first championship. In the 2012 playoffs, the Mavericks lost 0–4 to

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

in the first round. On May 15, 2012, Carlisle agreed to a new four-year deal with the Mavericks. In 2013, the Mavericks finished 41–41 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000. In 2014, Carlisle led the Mavericks back to the playoffs as the eighth seed with a 49–33 record where they would meet their in-state rivals San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Mavericks lost the series in seven games as the Spurs went on to win the 2014 NBA Finals. On January 30, 2015, he recorded his 600th win in a game against the Heat. He signed a new five-year deal on November 5, 2015. Four days earlier, Carlisle recorded his 340th win as Mavericks coach, passing Don Nelson as the winningest coach in franchise history. On December 2, 2017, Carlisle recorded his 700th win in a game against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. On January 13, 2021, Carlisle recorded his 800th win in a game against the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. On June 17, 2021, Carlisle stepped down as the Mavericks head coach with two years remaining on his contract.

Return to Indiana

On June 24, 2021, Carlisle was hired as the head coach of the

Personal life

Carlisle and his wife have one daughter. He is an avid

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

and

private pilot A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The licence requirements are dete ...

, who as of September 2015 had logged nearly 200 hours flying his Cirrus SR22T single-engine light aircraft.

Head coaching record

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References

External links

College statistics
at Sports-Reference

at Basketball-Reference
Coach profile
at NBA {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlisle, Rick 1959 births Living people Albany Patroons players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York (state) Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Dallas Mavericks head coaches Detroit Pistons head coaches Indiana Pacers head coaches Maine Black Bears men's basketball players National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches New York Knicks players New Jersey Nets assistant coaches New Jersey Nets players People from Lisbon, New York People from Ogdensburg, New York Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Shooting guards Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players Worcester Academy alumni