College - South Carolina
Mike Dunleavy completed his fifth season as the head coach of the Clippers by permanently etching his name in the franchise record books despite a difficult season that saw the Clippers suffer through a league-high 321 games lost due to injury and illness. Long known as one of the hardest working and most dynamic coaches in the league, Dunleavy kept the Clippers competitive and focused despite losing all-star forward Elton Brand and guard Shaun Livingston for the majority of the season due to injuries.

Dunleavy became the Clippers all-time franchise leader in victories when he won his 159th game on Dec. 7, 2007, surpassing Dr. Jack Ramsay. Dunleavy’s 410 games on the Clippers sideline is the most games coached in club history, as he passed Ramsay (1972-76) and Bill Fitch (1994-98) on Nov. 2, 2007. A 15-year NBA coaching veteran, Dunleavy now ranks sixth among active coaches on the all-time NBA victory list, and is 21st on the all-time NBA wins list. Dunleavy has coached 1,197 career NBA games, the eighth most among active coaches and the 18th most games of any coach in NBA history.

Dunleavy led the Clippers to within one game of the Western Conference Finals in 2006 and won his 500th career game as a coach on March 13, 2006. Dunleavy coached his 1,000th career game during the 2005-06 season. The Clippers improved in each of Dunleavy’s first three seasons on the bench, increasing their win total from 28 wins in 2003-04 to 47 wins during the 2005-06 campaign. In 2005-06, Dunleavy guided the Clippers to their best record since the franchise moved to California and to their first playoff appearance in nine seasons.

Prior to joining the Clippers, Dunleavy guided the Portland Trail Blazers for four seasons (1997-2001), leading them to a 190-106 (.642) record and four straight playoff appearances. Under Dunleavy, the Blazers made two consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000 with the 1999-00 club winning 59 games, matching the second-best victory total in Blazers history. Dunleavy earned the 1999 NBA Coach of the Year award after leading the 1998-99 Blazers to a Pacific Division-winning 35-15 record.

Dunleavy’s first head coaching opportunity came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1990-91, when he led them to a 58-24 record and a berth in the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Chicago Bulls. During the Lakers’ run through the 1991 NBA Playoffs, Los Angeles defeated Houston (3-0), Golden State (4-1) and upset Portland (4-2) in the Western Conference Finals, after the Blazers had posted the league’s best regular season record (63-19) and two straight NBA Finals appearances. The following year, the Lakers posted a 43-39 record and dropped a first-round series to Portland.

Dunleavy moved on in 1992 to Milwaukee, where he compiled a 107-221 (.326) record over four seasons while holding the dual title of Vice President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach. He stepped away from the bench prior to the 1996-97 season to concentrate on his general manager duties with the Bucks for one season before taking the head job in Portland.

Selected in the sixth round (99th pick overall) by Philadelphia in 1976, Dunleavy played 11 seasons in the NBA with career averages of 8.0 points and 3.9 assists in 438 games. He played for Philadelphia (1976-78), Houston (1978-82), San Antonio (1982-83) and Milwaukee (1983-85, 1988-1990). During the 1980-81 campaign, Dunleavy averaged a career-best 10.5 points as a starting guard for a Rockets team that reached the NBA Finals. In his lone season in San Antonio, Dunleavy led the NBA in three-point percentage, connecting at a .345 (67-194) clip from behind the arc.

A back injury prompted his unofficial retirement following the 1984-85 season and he worked for a New York investment firm before returning to the NBA as an assistant coach with Milwaukee for the 1986-87 season. He stayed on the Bucks’ bench through the 1989-90 campaign, but returned to uniform in parts of two seasons (1988-89, 1989-90) when injuries to the Bucks’ backcourt forced Dunleavy into the lineup.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Dunleavy played collegiately at the University of South Carolina, where he finished his career as the school’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,586 points. He appeared in 111 consecutive games for the Gamecocks, starting his last 105. Dunleavy was a straight A student, majoring in psychology while at South Carolina. He played his prep basketball at Nazareth High School in Brooklyn, where he earned All-New York City honors as a senior and had his number 44 jersey retired.

Mike and his wife Emily have three sons: Michael, Jr. (Indiana Pacers), William Baker and James (USC).