Brian Keefe coach history: Years coached, records, playoff wins and more

The Washington Wizards hired Brian Keefe as their head coach this summer. They fired Wes Unseld Jr. in January with Keefe taking over as the interim. He struggled to win games but earned the position. Keefe already has a plan to maximize his young talent in his first full season in the lead chair.

The franchise gave him more talent to work with after drafting Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George. They added Jonas Valanciunas in free agency and traded for Malcolm Brogdon to inject some veteran leadership into their group. The Wizards are still in the early stages of retooling, but their core is coming together. They hope Sarr is a future star and it is time to start building around him.

Keefe was a long-time assistant coach before getting his first head coaching chance last season. He spent time with six different franchises over 14 years. Here is a look at his coaching history.

How long has Brian Keefe been the Wizards' head coach?

The 48-year-old earned the interim tag on Jan. 25, 2024, and was hired to lead their charge fully on May 29. The Wizards took their time after the regular season before deciding Keefe was the right man for the job.

What is Brian Keefe’s record as head coach of the Wizards?

Keefe went 8-31 as the interim head coach. It was his first head coaching experience, and he has just a 20.5 winning percentage over his first 39 games.

What teams did Brian Keefe coach before the Wizards?

Keefe began his NBA career as a video coordinator with the Spurs in 2007. He went to the Thunder under Sam Presti and began his coaching career in 2009. He spent five seasons with the franchise before heading to the Knicks for two years. The former college point guard had a three-season stint with the Lakers, another year with Oklahoma City, and two seasons in Brooklyn before joining the Wizards as an assistant in 2023.

What was the team’s record during Brain Keefe’s stint as an assistant?

Here is a breakdown of the team’s record with Keefe on their coaching staff.

• Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-2014): 271-123
• New York Knicks (2014-2016): 49-115
• Los Angeles Lakers (2016-2019): 98-148
• Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-2020): 44-28
• Brooklyn Nets (2021-2023): 89-75
• Washington Wizards (2023-present): 50-114
• Overall assistant coaching record: 601-600

Overall head coaching record: 8-31

How have teams coached by Brian Keefe performed in the playoffs?

Keefe has made the playoffs eight times in his 15 years of coaching, and here are the team's records.

• Thunder (2010-2014): 39-34
• Thunder (2020): 3-4
• Nets (2022-2023): 0-8

The Thunder made the NBA Finals in 2012, and Keefe was an assistant throughout OKC’s rise with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Brian Keefe brings a ton of coaching experience to the Washington Wizards. He learned a ton from Gregg Popovich and got a championship ring before he even started his coaching journey. Now, he is leading the Wizards and hopes to help them go from rebuilding to contending in short order.