Mike Brown is experiencing the ups and downs of his NBA head coaching journey.
When the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau, there were plenty of rich names out there from both the media and fans.
However, after a few weeks of search, the Knicks announced Mike Brown as the organization’s next head coach. Brown already has important tasks to take care of the Knicks.
But before coach Brown makes his Knicks debut, let’s take a look at his journey so far, including his time as an NBA player.
The Chicago Bulls chose Mike Brown for their 69th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft and sent him abroad immediately. On his return, Brown only spent two seasons with the Bulls before signing with the Utah Jazz.
He discovered some stability in Utah and spent five seasons of his career with the team. Given that Brown averages only 17.5 minutes in his career, he ends up becoming an NBA traveler.
So, it wasn’t a surprise when he spent the last four years of his career juggling around the Minnesota Timber Wolves, Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns.
After being sent out of the league in 1997, Brown continued to play overseas, but also joined the Washington Wizard as an assistant coach.
After two years of stint with the Wizard, Brown took a break and returned in 2000 as assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. This time, Brown spent three seasons with the organization.
He later joined the Indiana Pacers in a two-year stint and eventually joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach. A year later, Brown won his first NBA head coaching job in his career with the Cavs.
When Brown took over the Cavs’ head coaching duties, there was no one else in the team except LeBron James. During Brown’s five-year tenure, Cavs went 272-138.
The Cavaliers were the dominant force in the Eastern Conference, as they never missed the postseason during that stretch. They also participated in the 2009 NBA Finals, the same season that Brown won the NBA Coach of the Year Award.
But so did Brown, along with an exit from LBJ’s Cavs for the Miami Heat in 2010. What is the only difference? Brown has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
As Shams Charania predicted, Brown was never suitable for LA. This year’s former coach was fired by the Lakers after just 71 games. He then returned to Cleveland for a one-year stint for the 2013-14 season.
Brown continued his next six seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors before joining the Sacramento Kings as head coach.
In his first season with the Kings, Brown ended the team’s 16-year playoff drought, winning the second Coach of the Year award of his career. However, Wang quickly lost his trust in Brown as he was fired after 31 games during the 2024-25 season.