The National Basketball Coaches Association announced Friday that Paul Westhead will be the recipient of its 2026 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.
During his distinguished 38-year career, Westhead served as either a head coach or assistant across multiple levels including the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, and international basketball. He holds the unique distinction of being the sole head coach to capture titles in both the NBA and WNBA.
His NBA head coaching experience included stints with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979-82, the Chicago Bulls in 1982, and the Denver Nuggets between 1990-92. In the WNBA, he led the Phoenix Mercury during the 2006-07 seasons.
Westhead’s championship victories came with the Lakers in 1980 and with the Mercury in 2007.
His collegiate coaching resume features tenures at La Salle from 1970-79, Loyola Marymount from 1985-90, and George Mason from 1993-97. He also coached the Oregon women’s basketball program from 2009-14. His international experience included coaching Wakayama in Japan’s National Basketball League.
“I am thankful for all the coaches who worked with me during my NBA coaching career,” Westhead said in a statement. “From Jack McKinney, who gave me my start with the LA Lakers, to P.J. Carlesimo who hired me for my last job (as an assistant coach) with the Seattle SuperSonics.”
Westhead gained recognition for creating high-speed offensive systems that pushed both teams into rapid-fire gameplay that challenged scoring records.
“Coach Westhead’s impact on the game extends far beyond wins and championships,” said NBCA president J.B. Bickerstaff, who also is the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. “He challenged conventional thinking, introduced ideas that were ahead of their time, and influenced generations of coaches across every level of men’s and women’s basketball.”
Past honorees of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award include Don Nelson (2025), Rudy Tomjanovich (2024), Rick Adelman (2023), Mike Fratello (2022), Larry Brown (2021), Del Harris (2020), Frank Layden (2019), Doug Moe (2018), Al Attles and Hubie Brown (2017), K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan (2016), Dick Motta (2015), Bernie Bickerstaff (2014), Bill Fitch (2013), Pat Riley (2012), Lenny Wilkens (2011), Jack Ramsay and Tex Winter (2010), and Tommy Heinsohn (2009).
