Rick Carlisle

NBA champion as player and coach; led Mavericks to 2011 title.

Rick Preston Carlisle (born October 27, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks, winning the 2011 NBA Finals with the latter. As a player, Carlisle played for the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and New Jersey Nets. He is one of only 14 people to win an NBA championship as both a player and a coach, and is one of only 11 head coaches in NBA history to win 1,000 games.

Quick Facts

Team: Indiana Pacers
Position: Head coach
League: NBA
Born: 27 October 1959
Birthplace: Ogdensburg, New York, U.S.
High school: Lisbon Central (Lisbon, New York); Worcester Academy (Worcester, Massachusetts)
College: Maine (1979–1981); Virginia (1982–1984)
Draft round: 3

Lore & Background

Carlisle was raised in Lisbon, New York. He attended and played basketball at Lisbon Central High School and was the first 1,000-point scorer in school history. He played two years of college basketball at the University of Maine from 1979 to 1981, then transferred to the University of Virginia. He was a starter for the 1982–83 Virginia Cavaliers team that featured 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. Carlisle averaged 12.5 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game during his college career.

After graduating in 1984, Carlisle was selected 70th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1984 NBA draft, where he played alongside Larry Bird. Under Celtics' coach K. C. Jones, Carlisle 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 of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) under Bill Musselman. Carlisle then signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks, where he played under coach Rick Pitino alongside Patrick Ewing. In 1989, Carlisle played in five games with the New Jersey Nets under Bill Fitch.

Reader's Guide

Later in 1989, Carlisle accepted an assistant coaching position with the New Jersey Nets, where he spent five seasons under Bill Fitch and Chuck Daly. In 1994, he 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 Indiana Pacers organization as an assistant coach under former teammate Larry Bird. For the 2001–02 season, Carlisle was hired by the Detroit Pistons to be their new head coach.

In two seasons as head coach, he led the team to consecutive 50–32 records with Central Division titles and playoff appearances. Carlisle was named Coach of the Year in 2002. However, the Pistons fired Carlisle after the 2002–03 season. For the 2003–04 season, Carlisle returned to the Pacers as head coach.

In his first season, Carlisle led the Pacers to the Central Division title and NBA's best regular-season record at 61–21, setting a franchise record for wins. In the playoffs, the team eliminated the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat before losing to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. That year, Carlisle coached the East All-Stars at the All-Star Game. 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.

In four seasons with the Pacers, he compiled a 181–147 record. After leaving Indiana, Carlisle worked as a studio analyst for ESPN before signing with the Dallas Mavericks as the team's new head coach. On May 9, 2008, Carlisle signed a four-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, replacing Avery Johnson. In the 2010–11 season, Carlisle coached the Mavericks to a 4–2 series victory over the Miami Heat for the franchise's first championship.