Surprise East Coach Emerges as Early 2026 NBA Coach of the Year Favorite

Jul 18, 2025 7:36 PM EDT

A surprise Eastern Conference coach has emerged as an early 2026 Coach of the Year favorite thus far, at least according to one oddsmaker.

Per SportsBetting.ag, Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley is the new odds-on favorite to snag the honor at 7/2 odds.

Mosley, a former four-year pro, began his coaching career in 2005-06 as a player development coach for George Karl’s Denver Nuggets. In 2007-08, he was shifted to an assistant coaching role on Karl’s bench. Mosley next worked as an assistant coach under then-Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Byron Scott and Mike Brown from 2010-14, and then with Rick Carlisle on the Dallas Mavericks from 2014-21. He nabbed the Orlando gig in 2021-22.

Across the past two seasons, Mosley has led Orlando to a pair of playoff berths and an 88-76 regular season record.

The top four is rounded out by of Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder (5/1), Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman (6/1), Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka (7/1), and San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson (8/1).

Adelman and Johnson began their 2024-25 seasons as assistant coaches under Michael Malone and Gregg Popovich, respectively. Malone was axed with just three games remaining in the year and Denver boasting a 47-32 record. Popovich, a five-time champion coach, suffered a debilitating stroke. Both Adelman and Johnson served as interim replacements, but had those tags removed in their teams’ offseasons.

2025 winner Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been given 50/1 odds to repeat. No head coach in the history of the award has ever achieved that feat, so it would take a herculean season from a club fresh off a 64-18 run in 2024-25.