Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle recorded the 1,000th win of his coaching career, while Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards surpassed the 10,000-point mark, in Thursday’s NBA action.
At 66 years old, Carlisle became the 11th coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 regular-season victories, achieving the milestone after guiding the Pacers to a dramatic 114–112 win over the Charlotte Hornets. His coaching career now spans 25 years.
Carlisle is currently the second-winningest active coach in the league, trailing only Doc Rivers (1,178 wins). The all-time record belongs to Gregg Popovich, who led the San Antonio Spurs from 1996 to 2024.
As a player, Carlisle had a modest career, though he won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 1986 in a limited role. He transitioned into coaching as an assistant between 1989 and 2000, before landing his first head coaching role with the Detroit Pistons in 2001.
He reached the pinnacle of coaching success in 2002, winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award, and led the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals the following season.
After an initial spell with the Pacers from 2003 to 2007, Carlisle enjoyed his most successful period with the Dallas Mavericks (2008–2021), guiding the franchise to its historic NBA championship in 2011 alongside German superstar Dirk Nowitzki.
Carlisle later returned for a second stint with Indiana, leading the Pacers to the NBA Finals last season, where they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a decisive Game 7. However, the current campaign has been challenging due to an injury to star guard Tyrese Haliburton, leaving Indiana with the league’s worst record at 7 wins and 31 losses.
Pascal Siakam was instrumental in securing Carlisle’s milestone victory, finishing with 30 points and 14 rebounds, capped by a spectacular last-second basket that ended a 13-game losing streak.
