Larry Brown

Larry Brown started his coaching career with the North Carolina Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina under head coach Dean Smith. In his first season with the team, they finished with a record of 16–11. The following season, the team finished with a 26-6 record and were ACC tournament champions ACC regular season champions. They later reached the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.

Coach Brown was hired to be the head coach of the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association. Using a “run-and-jump defense” that emphasized quickness and bench depth that could share minutes. In his first season, the Cougars won 57 games in his first year; Billy Cunningham won league MVP that year. The passing-game offense emphasized moving the ball quickly rather than isolation. After the second season, Brown left the team.

Brown had hired Doug Moe, his former teammate on the Oakland Oaks as an assistant coach. Who would follow him to the Denver Nuggets.

Coach Brown succeeded Alex Hannum as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, who at the time were still part of the American Basketball Association. In his first season, the Nuggets finished with a 65–19 record, reaching the ABA playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the division semifinals in 7 games. The following season, the team finished with a 60–24 record, making a deep playoff run to the 1976 ABA finals, but lost to the New York Nets in 6 games.

Starting the 1976-1977 season, the ABA was merged with the NBA. Later that season, the Nuggets made their first playoff appearance in the NBA but were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals in 6 games against the Portland Trail Blazers. The following season, they reached the conference finals but were eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics in 6 games.

In Brown’s final season, he resigned on February 2, 1979.

Notable Players Coached

• Bobby Jones
  • 1983 NBA champion
  • 4× NBA All-Star (1977, 1978, 1981, 1982)
  • 8× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1977–1984)
  • 1983 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
  • 1976 ABA All-Star (1976)
  • All-ABA Second Team (1976)
  • 2× ABA All-Defensive First Team (1975, 1976)
  • 1975 ABA All-Rookie First Team
  • No. 24 retired by Philadelphia 76ers
• David Thompson
  • 4× NBA All-Star (1977–1979, 1983)
  • 1979 NBA All-Star Game MVP
  • 2× All-NBA First Team (1977, 1978)
  • 1976 ABA All-Star
  • 1976 ABA All-Star Game MVP
  • 1976 All-ABA Second Team
  • 1976 ABA Rookie of the Year
  • ABA All-Time Team
  • No. 33 retired by Denver Nuggets
• Dan Issel
  • 1975 ABA champion
  • 1977 NBA All-Star
  • 6× ABA All-Star (1971–1976)
  • 1972 ABA All-Star Game MVP
  • 1972 All-ABA First Team
  • 4× All-ABA Second Team (1971, 1973, 1974, 1976)
  • 1971 ABA Rookie of the Year
  • 1971 ABA scoring champion
  • ABA All-Time Team
  • No. 44 retired by Denver Nuggets
• George McGinnis
  • 3× NBA All-Star (1976, 1977, 1979)
  • All-NBA First Team (1976)
  • 2× ABA champion (1972, 1973)
  • ABA Playoffs MVP (1973)
  • 1975 ABA MVP
  • 3× ABA All-Star (1973–1975)
  • 2× All-ABA First Team (1974, 1975)
  • ABA All-Rookie First Team (1972)
  • 1975 ABA scoring champion
  • ABA All-Time Team
• Paul Silas
  • 3× NBA champion (1974, 1976, 1979)
  • 2× NBA All-Star (1972, 1975)
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1975, 1976)
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1971–1973)
• Byron Beck
  • 2× ABA All-Star (1969, 1976)
  • No. 40 retired by Denver Nuggets
• Mack Calvin
  • 5× ABA All-Star (1971–1975)
  • 3x All-ABA First Team (1971, 1974, 1975)
  • All-ABA Second Team (1973)
  • ABA All-Rookie First Team (1970)
  • ABA All-Time Team
• Jan van Breda Kolff (1984 Italian League champion, 1984 Italian Cup winner (1984), & Future NBA coach)

Coach Brown became the head coach of the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team of the University of California. He led his freshman-dominated team to the NCAA title game before losing to the Louisville Cardinals, 59–54. However, that appearance was later vacated by the NCAA after two UCLA players were found to be ineligible.

Coach Brown succeeded Kevin Loughery as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets. In his first season he improved the team’s previous record of 24-58 into 44–38, 4th in the Eastern Conference, making the playoffs. The Nets faced the Washington Bullets in the first round but lost in 2 games.

The following season, the Nets slightly improved their record to 49–33, reaching the playoffs again, but lost to the New York Knicks in 2 games.

Notable Players Coached

• Buck Williams
  • 3× NBA All-Star (1982, 1983, 1986)
  • 1983 All-NBA Second Team
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1990, 1991)
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1988, 1992)
  • 1982 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 1982 NBA All-Rookie First Team
  • No. 52 retired by Brooklyn Nets
• Otis Birdsong
• Mike O’Koren (Future NBA coach)
• Jan van Breda Kolff (1984 Italian League champion, 1984 Italian Cup winner (1984), & Future NBA coach)

Coach Brown was hired as the head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team. In all 5 seasons he was the coach, he led the Jayhawks to the NCAA tournament.

His time in Lawrence was defined by the development of Danny Manning, who became the focal point of Brown’s tactical system. The pinnacle arrived in 1988, a season where Kansas entered the tournament with 11 losses. Dubbed “Danny and the Miracles,” Brown’s squad executed a masterclass in coaching, navigating a difficult bracket to reach the final against a heavily favored Oklahoma team. By winning the championship, Brown secured his place in the history books as the first (and still as of 2026) coach to win both an NCAA and NBA title.

Coach Brown succeeded Bob Weiss as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

In his first season, the Spurs finished with a record of 21–61, missing the playoffs. The following season, the Spurs finished with a 56–26 record, reaching the playoffs. They were eliminated in the semifinals by the Portland Trail Blazers in 7 games.

In 1991, the Spurs finished with a 55–27 record but were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in 4 games (3-1). He was fired the following season after a 21-17 start.

Notable Players Coached

• David Robinson
  • 2× NBA champion (1999, 2003)
  • 1995 NBA Most Valuable Player
  • 10× NBA All-Star (1990–1996, 1998, 2000, 2001)
  • 4× All-NBA First Team (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996)
  • 1992 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
  • 4× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996)
  • 1994 NBA scoring champion
  • 1991 NBA rebounding leader
  • 1992 NBA blocks leader
  • 1990 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
  • No. 50 retired by San Antonio Spurs
• Vernon Maxwell (2× NBA champion (1994, 1995)
• Sean Elliot
  • 1999 NBA champion
  • 2× NBA All-Star (1993, 1996)
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1990)
  • No. 32 retired by San Antonio Spurs
• Terry Cummings
  • 2× NBA All-Star (1985, 1989)
  • 1985 All-NBA Second Team
  • 1989 All-NBA Third Team
  • 1983 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 1983 NBA All-Rookie First Team
• Caldwell Jones
  • 1975 ABA All-Star
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1981, 1982)
  • 2× ABA blocks leader (1974, 1975)
• Avery Johnson
  • NBA champion (1999)
  • No. 6 retired by San Antonio Spurs
  • Future NBA head coach

Coach Brown was hired to succeed Clippers head coach Mike Schuler was fired after a 21-24 start. In his first full time season as the head coach, the Clippers finished with a 41–41 record, reaching the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Houston Rockets in 5 games (3-2).

Coach Brown resigned the following season on May 21, 1993.

Notable Players Coached

• Ron Harper
  • 5× NBA champion (1996–1998, 2000, 2001)
  • 1987 NBA All-Rookie First Team
• Kiki VanDeWeghe (2× NBA All-Star (1983, 1984)
• Doc Rivers (1988 NBA All-Star & Future 2008 NBA champion as head coach)
• Jaren Jackson (1999 NBA champion & Father of Jaren Jackson Jr.)
• Mark Jackson
  • 1989 NBA All-Star
  • 1988 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 1988 NBA All-Rookie First Team
  • 1997 NBA assists leader
• Lester Conner (Future NBA coach)

Prior to Brown being their coach, the Pacers had never won a postseason series since joining the NBA. He proceeded to lead them to the conference finals on two occasions. On December 13, 1996, he won his 594th game as an NBA coach with a 97–94 victory over the Boston Celtics. Combined with his wins in the NCAA and the ABA, it was his 1,000th combined win as a head coach.

In his first season, the Pacers finished with a 47–35 record, reaching the Eastern Conference finals, but lost to the New York Knicks in 7 games. The following season, the Pacers finished with a record of 52–30, reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, but were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in 7 games.

After their conference finals appearances, the Pacers regressed in their post-season runs, in 1996, they were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in 5 games (3-2) and in 1997, the Pacers had their worst record under Brown with 39–43 and missing the playoffs completely.

Notable Players Coached

• Reggie Miller
  • 5× NBA All-Star (1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
  • 3× All-NBA Third Team (1995, 1996, 1998)
  • 2021 NBA 75th Anniversary Team
  • No. 31 retired by Indiana Pacers
• Rik Smits
  • 1998 NBA All-Star
  • 1989 NBA All-Rookie First Team
• Antonio Davis (2001 NBA All-Star)
• Byron Scott
  • 3× NBA champion (1985, 1987, 1988)
  • 1984 NBA All-Rookie First Team
  • Future 2008 NBA Coach of the Year
• Mark Jackson
  • 1989 NBA All-Star
  • 1988 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 1988 NBA All-Rookie First Team
  • 1997 NBA assists leader
• Jalen Rose (2000 NBA Most Improved Player & 1995 NBA All-Rookie Second Team)
• Derrick McKey
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1995, 1996)
  • 1988 NBA All-Rookie First Team
• Sam Mitchell (Future 2007 NBA Coach of the Year)
• Fred Hoiberg (Future NBA & NCAA coach)
• Lester Conner (Future NBA coach)

Larry Brown was hired as the head coach and general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers succeeding head coach Johnny Davis and General Manager Brad Greenberg. In his first season, the team improved their previous 22-60 record into 31–51, missing the playoffs.

In 1998, the season was shortened due to the lockout, only playing 50 games, which led to a 28–22 record, reaching the playoffs, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in 4 games in the conference semifinals. The following season, they had a 49–33 record, facing the Pacers once again in the semifinals, this time losing in 6 games.

In 2001, Coach Brown won the NBA Coach of the Year award and the 76ers reached the NBA finals but lost in 5 games to Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. In Brown’s last two seasons, they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in 5 games (3-2) in the first round and in 2003 by the Detroit Pistons in 6 games in the semifinals.

Notable Players Coached

• Allen Iverson
  • 2001 NBA Most Valuable Player
  • 11× NBA All-Star (2000–2010)
  • 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2001, 2005)
  • 3× All-NBA First Team (1999, 2001, 2005)
  • 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 4× NBA scoring champion (1999, 2001, 2002, 2005)
  • 3× NBA steals leader (2001–2003)
  • NBA 75th Anniversary Team selection
  • No. 3 retired by Philadelphia 76ers
• Dikembe Mutombo
  • 8× NBA All-Star (1992, 1995–1998, 2000–2002)
  • 2001 All-NBA Second Team
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (1998, 2002)
  • 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1997, 1998, 2001)
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1995, 1999, 2002)
  • 1992 NBA All-Rookie First Team
  • 2× NBA rebounding leader (2000, 2001)
  • 3× NBA blocks leader (1994–1996)
• Tyrone Hill (1995 NBA All-Star)
• Derrick Coleman
  • 1994 NBA All-Star
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (1993, 1994)
  • 1991 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 1991 NBA All-Rookie First Team
• Theo Ratliff
  • 2001 NBA All-Star
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1999, 2004)
  • 3× NBA blocks leader (2001, 2003, 2004)
• Rick Mahorn
  • 1989 NBA champion
  • 1992 FIBA Korać Cup
  • 1990 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• Aaron McKie (2001 NBA Sixth Man of the Year & Future NBA coach)
• Eric Snow (2003 NBA All-Defensive Second Team)
• Larry Hughes (Future 2005 NBA All-Defensive First Team & Future NBA steals leader)
• Monty Williams (Future 2022 NBA Coach of the Year)
• Kevin Ollie (Future NBA coach)
• Doug Overton (Future NBA coach)

Coach Brown succeeded Rick Carlisle as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. In his first season, the Pistons finished with a 54–28 record, reaching the NBA finals where they won against the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. The following season, they reached the finals for a second time but lost in 7 games to the San Antonio Spurs.

Brown was chosen as the head coach for the United States men’s basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team won the bronze medal at the Olympics; this was the first U.S. men’s basketball team that did not win gold at a Summer Olympics since NBA players began playing on the U.S. men’s team in 1992.

On July 19, 2005, the Pistons bought out the remaining years of Brown’s contract.

Notable Players Coached

• Chauncey Billups
  • 2004 NBA champion
  • 2004 NBA Finals MVP
  • 5× NBA All-Star (2006–2010)
  • All-NBA Second Team (2006)
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (2007, 2009)
  • 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2006)
  • No. 1 retired by Detroit Pistons
• Ben Wallace
  • 2004 NBA champion
  • 4× NBA All-Star (2003–2006)
  • 3× All-NBA Second Team (2003, 2004, 2006)
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2005)
  • 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
  • 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2002–2006)
  • NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2007)
  • 2× NBA rebounding leader (2002, 2003)
  • 2002 NBA blocks leader
  • No. 3 retired by Detroit Pistons
• Richard “Rip” Hamilton
  • 2004 NBA champion
  • 3× NBA All-Star (2006–2008)
  • No. 32 retired by Detroit Pistons
• Rasheed Wallace
  • 2004 NBA champion
  • 4× NBA All-Star (2000, 2001, 2006, 2008)
  • 1996 NBA All-Rookie Second Team
• Tayshaun Prince
  • 2004 NBA champion
  • 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005–2008)
• Derrick Coleman
  • 1994 NBA All-Star
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (1993, 1994)
  • 1991 NBA Rookie of the Year
• Corliss Williamson
  • 2004 NBA champion
  • 2002 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
• Darvin Ham (2004 NBA champion & Future NBA head coach)

Coach Brown succeeded Lenny Wilkens as the Head coach of the New York Knicks. He signed a 5-year contract reportedly worth between $50 million and $60 million (U.S Dollars), making him the highest-paid coach in NBA history at the time. In his first and only season, he had a 23-59 record, missing the playoffs. He was fired after the season.

Notable Players Coached

• Penny Hardaway
  • 4× NBA All-Star (1995–1998)
  • 2× All-NBA First Team (1995, 1996)
  • 1997 All-NBA Third Team
• Jamal Crawford (Future 3× NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2010, 2014, 2016)
• Stephon Marbury
  • 2× NBA All-Star (2001, 2003)
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (2000, 2003)
  • 1997 NBA All-Rookie First
• Nate Robinson (3× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (2006, 2009, 2010)
• Steve Francis (3× NBA All-Star (2002–2004), 2000, NBA Rookie of the Year, & 2000 NBA All-Rookie First Team)
• David Lee (2015 NBA champion), 2× NBA All-Star (2010, 2013), & 2013 All-NBA Third Team)
• Jalen Rose (2000 NBA Most Improved Player & 1995 NBA All-Rookie Second Team)
• Channing Frye (2016 NBA champion & 2006 NBA All-Rookie First Team)
• Quentin Richardson (2005 NBA Three-Point Contest champion)
• Ime Udoka (Future NBA head coach)

Coach Brown succeeded Sam Vincent as the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Charlotte Hornets). In his first season, the Bobcats finished with a 35–47 record, missing the playoffs. The following season, the team improved their record to 44–38, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

On December 22, 2010, Brown parted ways with the Bobcats after the team started the 2010–2011 season with a record of 9–19.

Notable Players Coached

• Gerald Wallace
  • 2010 NBA All-Star
  • 2010 NBA All-Defensive First Team
  • 2006 NBA steals leader
• D. J. Augustin (2009 NBA All-Rookie Second Team & 2008 Bob Cousy Award)
• Juwan Howard
  • 2× NBA champion (2012, 2013)
  • 1996 NBA All-Star
  • 1996 All-NBA Third Team
  • 1995 NBA All-Rookie Second Team
• Tyson Chandler
  • 2011 NBA champion
  • 2013 NBA All-Star
  • 2012 All-NBA Third Team
  • 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
  • 2013 NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Stephen Jackson (2003 NBA champion)
• Larry Hughes (2005 NBA All-Defensive First Team & 2005 NBA steals leader)

Coach Brown succeeded Matt Doherty as the head coach of the SMU Mustangs.

The school made its first appearance in The Associated Press Top 25 rankings since 1985. SMU finished as the overall number one seed in the National Invitational Tournament, losing in the final game of the tournament to Minnesota, and finished the year with a record of 27–10. In the 2014–2015 season, SMU won the American Athletic Conference tournament and secured its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1993.

On September 29, 2015, Brown was suspended by the NCAA for 30% of the Mustangs’ games in the upcoming 2015–2016 season, and the team was banned from 2016 post-season play, placed on probation for three years.

On July 8, 2016, Brown announced his resignation as head basketball coach.

Notable Players Coached

• Shake Milton (64th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft)
• Semi Ojeleye (37th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft)

On June 12, 2018, Brown became the head coach of Auxilium Torino, a team in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He was fired midseason on December 27 with the team’s record at just 5–19.

Coach Brown became an assistant coach under Penny Hardaway for the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team of the University of Memphis.

After the season, he transitioned as an advisor to the head coach.

Notable Players Coached

• Jalen Duren (2026 NBA All-Star)
• Josh Minott (45th overall pick in the NBA 2022 Draft)
• Emoni Bates (49th overall pick in the NBA 2023 Draft)
• Lester Quiñones (2023 NBA G League Most Improved Player)