Mike Fratello coached 577 during his 9-year span as coach of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks have had 32 head coaches in their franchise history. Only Alex Hannum has coached them to a championship. Let’s highlight their top five all-time leaders in games coached.
Richie Guerin, 618 Games (1965-72)
Guerin coached the Hawks for eight seasons and made the playoffs in each of them. His best regular season record came in 1967-68 when the Hawks went 56-26. He was also named the NBA Coach of the Year that season. During the regular season, Guerin posted a record of 327-291 with the Hawks. In the playoffs, he went 26-34. The furthest that the team advanced with him at the helm was the Western Division Finals, which they accomplished in 1966 and 1969.
Mike Fratello, 577 Games (1981-90)
Fratello began his career as an assistant coach for the Hawks in the 1979-80 season. After four seasons with the team, he spent one campaign with the Knicks before returning to the Hawks as their head coach for the 1983-84 season. Over the next seven seasons, the Hawks won at least 50 games four times. In the 1985-86 season, Fratello was named the NBA Coach of the Year. The Hawks also made five trips to the playoffs during his tenure. The farthest that they advanced with Fratello as their head coach was the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Fratello went 324-253 during the regular season with the Hawks and 18-22 in the playoffs.
Lenny Wilkens, 542 Games (1994-2000)
After coaching stints with the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers and Cavaliers, Wilkens took over as the head coach of the Hawks prior to the 1993-94 season. They went 57-25 during the regular season, which helped Wilkens earn the Coach of the Year award. In total, Wilkens went 310-232 during his regular season career with the Hawks and 17-30 in the playoffs. The furthest that he advanced in the playoffs was the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Mike Woodson, 492 Games (2005-10)
Mike Woodson took over the head coaching job for the Hawks in 2004-05. That season, the team went 13-69. He would coach six seasons for the team, making the playoffs three times. The farthest that he advanced in the playoffs was the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He finished with a regular season record of 206-286 with the franchise and went 11-18 in the playoffs.
Mike Budenholzer, 410 Games (2014-18)
Budenholzer became an assistant coach with the Spurs in 1996-97. He spent 17 seasons in that role with the team. He then received his first head coaching opportunity with the Hawks in 2013-14. His best season came in 2014-15 when the team went 60-22. That helped him win the Coach of the Year award. The team would go on to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, which they lost in four games to the Cavaliers. The team made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, but went 24-58 in the 2017-18 season, which was his last with the team. He posted a regular season record of 213-197 and a playoff record of 17-22 with the franchise.
