Steve Kerr helped steer the Golden State Warriors to the greatest regular season in NBA history, and for his troubles, he’s been named the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year.

Kerr missed the first 43 games after undergoing a pair of back operations, but under the Dubs never missed a beat under assistant coach Luke Walton

The last Warriors coach to win this award is Don Nelson (1992).

Per ESPN:

Complications from two offseason back surgeries forced Kerr to miss the first 43 games of Golden State’s title defense — with interim coach Luke Walton posting a record of 39-4 in Kerr’s absence — but he ultimately won the balloting in a very deep field not only for his coaching but his role in building the culture that put the Warriors on a path for a record-setting 73 wins.

 

Fueled by a 24-0 start, which bettered the previous league record for an unbeaten launch to an NBA season by nine games, Golden State went 73-9 in the regular season to trump the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the best single-season mark in league history.

 

Kerr finished second in Coach of the Year balloting behind Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer last season, which was Kerr’s first season as a head coach. That team went 67-15 en route to winning the Warriors’ first championship in 40 years.