Fratello spent six seasons as the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach. In those six campaigns, he collected 248 wins and 212 losses, taking the Cavaliers to the playoffs in all but two seasons.
Fratello also served as the Atlanta Hawks head coach seven seasons compiling a 324-250 record from 1983 to 1990. He led five of those Atlanta teams to the post-season, including the 1986-87 club, which captured the Central Division title with 57 wins. As a result, Fratello was named coach of the year by five different organizations for that campaign.
Fratello is only the 18th NBA coach to win 500 games. With his career record of 572-462, he is among the winningest coaches in NBA history. In the years between his two coaching tenures, Fratello entered the world of broadcasting, providing expert analysis on NBC from 1990-1993. Fratello also worked as an analyst for Turner Sports during the NBA playoffs, from 1994-96.