Who Is Chris Finch? All About 2024 NBA All-Star Western Conference Team Head Coach

All you need to know about 2024 NBA All-Star Western Conference team head coach, Chris Finch, in 2024.

Updated on Feb 05, 2024  |  06:22 PM IST |  258.7K
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Chris Finch

Chris Finch is a name that is respected highly throughout the NBA. The 54-year-old has been coaching since 1997 after having a playing career of four years. Finch was never drafted in the NBA as a player.

However, it’s a different story for him as a coach. He joined the Minnesota Timberwolves as their coach in 2021. In the very first season, he led to a 46–36 finish. It was also the Wolves’ first postseason appearance since 2018.


To add a cherry on top, he got four votes for third place in the 2021–2022 NBA Coach of the Year poll.

The Wolves gave Finch a multi-year extension because of his success, though specifics were kept under wraps. Still, it's evident that Minnesota thinks highly of him, and Finch just provided more evidence of why he deserves the new deal.


Finch will coach the Western Conference All-Stars in the 73rd NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, the NBA announced on Sunday. He earned the honor after the Timberwolves defeated the Houston Rockets 111-90 on Sunday.

It’s a great honor for Finch and the Timberwolves as an organization. Finch is only the second Timberwolves head coach who has earned the honor. It's also his first time coaching an All-Star team.


Flip Saunders was the first Wolves coach to be selected for the All-Star game. He guided the Western Conference All-Stars to a 136-132 victory in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in LA.

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Flip Saunders

Chris Finch Contract

According to reports, Finch's salary as the head coach of the Timberwolves ranges from three to five million dollars.

Finch was appointed as Ryan Saunders' temporary head coach after serving as a member of the Toronto Raptors coaching staff.

The Timberwolves signed coach Finch to a multi-year contract extension in April 2022, but the terms of the agreement were kept confidential per team policy.


Finch played a key role in raising the Raptors' offensive standing and scoring capacity while serving as assistant coach.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers hired Finch as their head coach in 2009, and he led the team to its first-ever NBA D League (now the G League) Championship in 2010.

Because of his tremendous effort, Finch was able to win the D League Coach of the Year title in that same year.

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Chris Finch with TEAM GB

Finch joined the Houston Rockets in July 2011 and was called up to the major leagues, where he spent five years before spending the following four seasons as associate head coach of the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Chris Finch Salary

The deal's financial details were kept secret. Because of the secrecy, it’s very hard to come up with the exact figure. However, multiple reports help us with an in-and-around figure of his salary.

Chris Finch with Wolves

We are aware that Finch does not rank among the NBA's top five earners among coaches. Thus, his yearly compensation is less than $7.25 million, which is the same as the fifth-highest-paid NBA coach, Rick Carlisle.

Finch's annual salary is probably between four and five million dollars. Another coach without NBA playing experience, Joe Mazzulla, received a contract extension after making an impression as head coach early on. His yearly salary is approximately $4,7 million. Finch should be around that figure as well.

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Finch with Edwards

Chris Finch's coaching record

Chris Finch is a well-recognized name in the NBA. He started coaching in the league in 2011.

However, it can be surprising to many people that he got his first head coaching position in 2021 with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

 


In his first season, he contributed significantly and helped them make their first postseason appearance in three years.

Minnesota's 46-36 record earned them the seventh seed. They defeated the LA Clippers to get to the first round of the 2022 Play-In tournament, but they fell short against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Minnesota experienced a similar fate the previous year, finishing as the eighth seed with a 42-40 record. However, the Wolves lost to the Denver Nuggets, the eventual champions, in another first-round matchup.

Wolves vs Nuggets

But given how well the Minnesota Timberwolves have played this season, it appears like Chris Finch can write the story this year. With a 35-15 record, they are level with the OKC Thunder for first place.

The current place of the Wolves in this season’s NBA showcases the brilliance of his coaching. To add another feather to his cap, Finch will coach the Western Conference All-Stars in the 73rd NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis. He now has a record of 123-91 as a head coach. 

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Chris Finch Wife

Chris Finch has coached in both the NBA and the G-League for more than 25 years.

As the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he has led the team to the postseason each of his two seasons there, including the team's first one since 2018.

Chris Finch

Finch had coached the New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, and Houston Rockets before this.

Finch was a member of the coaching staff of teams in the Belgian Basketball League, German Bundesliga, and British Basketball League before joining the NBA.

Finch also managed Great Britain's national team at the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the FIBA EuroBasket between 2009 and 2012.

Finch and Nurse

Regarding his playing career, Finch attended Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American in basketball. In 2002, he was admitted to the F&M Sports Hall of Fame. In NCAA Division III history, Finch has the most career victories as a starter.

Finch has proven himself as a decent coach over the years but at the same time he has stayed away from becoming a family man. Finch never married or had kids.

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