List of Sports Coaches Who Smoke Weed

• The NBA’s second-winningest coach now grows marijuana – Don Nelson holds 1,335 career wins (second all-time behind Gregg Popovich) and cultivates his own cannabis strain, “Nellie Kush,” on his farm in Maui
• A prominent championship coach sparked national dialogue – Steve Kerr became one of the most prominent active NBA head coaches to publicly admit trying marijuana for chronic pain, advocating for policy reform
• The most decorated coach in NBA history acknowledged cannabis as “part of the culture” – Phil Jackson’s 11 championship rings didn’t stop him from openly discussing his marijuana use during his recovery from back surgery
• College football meets cannabis entrepreneurship – Former coach Brian Yauger pivoted from sideline strategy to co-founding a cannabis convention company
• Player-turned-coach perspectives are emerging – Chauncey Billups provided rare locker room insights about teammates who performed better after smoking
• Cannabis conversations in coaching remain NBA-dominated – Most documented coach-cannabis connections come from basketball, reflecting the sport’s more open culture

When people think about cannabis in professional sports, athletes usually come to mind first. But some of the biggest names in coaching have also shaped the conversation around marijuana—whether through personal use, medical advocacy, or full-fledged cannabis entrepreneurship. Exploring the cannabis products available today shows how far the industry has evolved since these coaches first spoke out.

The list of coaches willing to discuss cannabis publicly remains relatively small compared to athletes. This makes sense: coaches face different pressures, including team ownership scrutiny, league policies, and the responsibility of managing younger players. Yet several have stepped forward anyway, using their platforms to challenge outdated stigmas.

What unites these coaches isn’t just cannabis use—it’s their willingness to speak openly in an industry that often punishes such honesty. From Hall of Fame legends to college football strat

Don Nelson has 1,335 career wins, second all-time behind Gregg Popovich, leading teams including the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks across 31 seasons as an NBA head coach (1976-2010). After retiring in 2010, he publicly discussed growing marijuana on his farm in Maui.

• Career legacy: 1,335 victories (2nd all-time in NBA coaching wins)
• Cannabis connection: Grows marijuana on his Maui farm; created personal strain called “Nellie Kush” (O.G. and Hindu Kush mix)
• Introduction to cannabis: Willie Nelson introduced him to marijuana during retirement
• Medical status: Has said he holds a medical card in Hawaii for pain management from old injuries
• Timing: Started using 3-4 years before his 2018 interviews—well after his coaching career ended
• Media coverage: Featured on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” discussing his marijuana farming

Nelson never smoked when playing or coaching, making his post-retirement embrace of cannabis all the more notable. His cultivation approach treats the plants with almost spiritual care.

Key Quote: “You’ve got to treat it like a baby. You’ve got to water them. You’ve got to have music for them. You’ve got to bless them. It’s a whole process.“

He has described playing poker with friends including Willie Nelson, and has been reported alongside Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson—a circle that reflects how cannabis has become normalized among certain celebrity and sports communities.

For those curious about cannabis cultivation or strain varieties like Nelson’s Nellie Kush, Herb’s strain guides offer detailed information on indica varieties and hybrids.

Steve Kerr is among the most prominent active NBA head coaches to publicly discuss trying marijuana. As head coach of the Golden State Warriors and the reigning NBA Coach of the Year at the time, his 2016 admission carried significant weight.

• Current role: Head Coach, Golden State Warriors; multiple NBA titles
• Cannabis use: Tried medicinal marijuana twice in 18 months for severe back pain
• Medical context: Suffered debilitating pain from a spinal fluid leak following back surgery
• Result: Cannabis didn’t work for his pain, but he still advocated for research and policy reform
• Policy recommendation: Stated “the league should look into medicinal marijuana for pain relief… that’s what should be in the CBA”
• Player support: Draymond Green and David West publicly backed his comments

Kerr’s criticism of pharmaceutical alternatives resonated with many athletes dealing with chronic pain and prescription painkiller concerns.

Key Quote: “I’m always struck every time I’m home on the couch watching a sporting event, some drug commercial comes on, they show these happy people jumping in a lake, rowing a boat, then you just wait for the qualifier. Side effects include suicidal thoughts and possible death. And you’re like, this is insane. Insane.“

His player Draymond Green offered support, noting: “You look at something that comes from the Earth. Any vegetable that comes from the Earth, they encourage you to eat it. It does make a little sense as opposed to giving someone a manufactured pill.”

Kerr’s openness helped shift conversations about cannabis in professional sports from locker room whispers to mainstream policy discussions.

Phil Jackson is the most successful NBA coach of all time with 11 championship rings, leading both the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers dynasties. In December 2016, he publicly acknowledged cannabis use during his recovery from back surgery, adding historical credibility to the coaching-cannabis conversation.

• Championships: 11 NBA titles as head coach—more than any other coach in league history
• Playing career: 10 seasons with the Knicks and 2 with the Nets; he missed the 1969-70 season due to spinal surgery
• Cannabis use: Said he smoked marijuana while recovering from back surgery during the season he was out, for pain relief and distraction
• Context: Discussed during 2016 interviews for his book publicity tour
• Cultural insight: Stated cannabis remains “part of the culture in the NBA” despite league efforts to stop it

Jackson’s famous Zen approach to coaching often involved meditation sessions that became the subject of NBA lore.

Key Quote: “I was smoking marijuana during that period of time. I think it was a distraction for me as much as a pain reliever. But I never thought of it as ultimately a pain medication for that type of situation.”

Former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal shared a memorable anecdote about Jackson’s meditation practices: “It smelled just like weed. I said, ‘Coach, Is this weed?’ He said, ‘No, it’s sage – it’s the cousin of Cannabis.’“

On the league’s cannabis culture, Jackson offered this assessment: “We have tried to stop marijuana use in the NBA. I don’t think we have been able to stop it. I think it still goes on and is still a part of the culture in the NBA. It is something that we either have to accommodate or figure out another way to deal with it.”

Brian Yauger’s story represents a different path: a former college football coach who pivoted entirely into the cannabis industry. His coaching resume includes stops at Oklahoma State, Columbia, and Division III schools like Sewanee and Wilmington.

• Coaching career: Coached at multiple programs before being fired from Columbia in 2002
• Current role: President & Co-founder of Lemonhaze.com, a cannabis marketing and events company
• Location: Based in Seattle/Washington state
• Innovation: Co-founded Lemonhaze and created the Lemonhaze Cannabis Convention, modeled after the AFCA coaching convention, which has drawn thousands of industry professionals
• Personal use: Interestingly, not a regular cannabis user himself—prefers beer

Yauger applied his coaching skills—networking, recruiting, event management—to build a legitimate cannabis business.

Key Quote: “The concept is 100 percent based on my experience going to the AFCA convention.”

His self-awareness about his own evolution is refreshing: “I made fun of guys who smoked weed all my life.” He added: “Still to this day, I see some kid from a college program or the NFL getting hit with a four-week suspension for smoking pot, and I’m like, ‘What an idiot.’ Oh, wait a minute. I’m in that industry.”

For those interested in how cannabis culture intersects with business and events, Herb’s news section covers industry developments and entrepreneurial stories.

Chauncey Billups offers a bridge between player and coaching perspectives. His playing career spanned 1997-2014, including an NBA Championship. He later worked as an ESPN analyst before becoming Portland Trail Blazers head coach in 2021. As of late 2025, he was reported on unpaid leave with Tiago Splitter serving as acting head coach.

• Playing career: NBA Champion; 17-year professional career
• Coaching transition: Previously worked as ESPN analyst; became Portland Trail Blazers head coach in 2021
• Cannabis insight: Spoke in a 2016 Washington Post interview about teammates’ cannabis use
• Performance observation: Claimed some players performed better after smoking
• Preference: Said he’d rather teammates smoke than drink

Billups provided rare locker room candor about how cannabis affected team dynamics and individual performance.

Key Quote: “I honestly played with players — I’m not going to name names; of course I’m not — I wanted them to smoke. They played better like that. Big-time anxiety, a lot of things can be affected — marijuana brought ’em down a bit. It helped them focus in a little bit on the game plan. I needed them to do that. I would rather them do that than, sometimes, drink.”

This perspective—from someone who witnessed cannabis use firsthand during his playing days and later moved into coaching—adds nuance to discussions about performance and wellness. For readers exploring how cannabis might affect focus or relaxation, Herb’s guides section offers educational resources on different consumption methods.

The relationship between professional sports coaching and cannabis has evolved significantly across decades. Before league drug-testing programs became widespread (notably from the early 1980s onward), players and coaches like Phil Jackson experimented with marijuana during an era when such use was discussed more loosely. The 1980s and 1990s brought increased testing and stricter penalties, pushing cannabis conversations underground.

The 2010s marked a turning point. As states began legalizing marijuana, figures like Don Nelson and Steve Kerr felt more comfortable speaking publicly. Kerr’s 2016 admission came just as the medical marijuana conversation was gaining mainstream traction.

Today, coaches exist in a complex landscape. The NBA stopped random marijuana testing and later removed cannabis from its anti-drug testing program under the new CBA. The NFL has also adjusted its testing and discipline rules over time, though cannabis remains regulated. This evolving policy environment continues to shape how coaches and athletes discuss cannabis publicly.

Finding local dispensaries has become easier as legalization expands, though coaches and team personnel must still navigate their league’s specific policies.

These five coaches represent different points on the cannabis spectrum: retirement cultivation, medical advocacy, historical acknowledgment, industry entrepreneurship, and player-management perspective. What they share is a willingness to break silence on a topic that remains complicated in professional sports.

As cannabis legalization continues expanding and public attitudes shift, more coaches may feel comfortable sharing their experiences. The conversation has already moved from “if coaches use cannabis” to “how cannabis fits into sports culture”—a significant shift driven partly by the voices on this list.

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