Mike Brown (basketball, born 1970) facts for kids
Brown coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 5, 1970 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| High school | Würzburg American (Würzburg, Germany) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
|
| NBA Draft | 1992 / Undrafted |
| Coaching career | 1997–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1997–1999 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
| 2000–2003 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) |
| 2003–2005 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) |
| 2005–2010 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2011–2012 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2013–2014 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2016–2022 | Golden State Warriors (associate HC) |
| 2022–2024 | Sacramento Kings |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Michael Burton Brown (born March 5, 1970) is an American basketball coach. He has been a head coach for teams like the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.
Brown started coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. His team reached the 2007 NBA Finals, but they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2009, Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year. This was because he led the Cavaliers to a team-record 66 wins.
After coaching the Cavaliers twice, Brown joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016 as an associate head coach. With the Warriors, he helped win three NBA championships in 2017, 2018, and 2022.
In 2022, he became the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. In his first year, he led the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. This was the longest playoff drought in NBA history. For this amazing effort, Brown won the NBA Coach of the Year award again in 2023. He was the first coach ever to win this award by a unanimous vote.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Journey
Mike Brown was born on March 5, 1970, in Columbus, Ohio. His father was in the US Air Force. Because of his father's job, Mike lived in different places. He spent time in the United States, Japan, and Germany as a child.
He finished high school in 1988 at Würzburg American High School in Würzburg, Germany. There, he was very good at both basketball and football.
After high school, Brown played college basketball for two years at Mesa Community College. Then, he went to the University of San Diego. He played for the San Diego Toreros for two seasons. In 1992, he earned a degree in Business Administration.
Brown began his NBA career in 1992 with the Denver Nuggets. He worked there for five seasons as a video coordinator and scout. This means he helped analyze games and find new players.
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting as an Assistant Coach
Brown started his coaching journey as an assistant.
Washington Wizards (1997–1999)
In 1997, Brown moved to Washington. He worked as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards for two seasons.
San Antonio Spurs (2000–2003)
In 2000, Gregg Popovich hired Brown as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. He also coached the Spurs' summer league teams. The Spurs won an NBA championship in 2003 while Brown was part of their coaching staff.
Indiana Pacers (2003–2005)
In 2003, Brown became the associate head coach for the Indiana Pacers. He helped the Pacers reach the playoffs two years in a row. They even made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004.
First Time as a Head Coach
Cleveland Cavaliers (2005–2010)
In June 2005, Mike Brown became the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was his first time leading an NBA team. He was one of the youngest coaches in the league. When Brown arrived, the Cavaliers had not made the playoffs in a while.
Under Brown's coaching, the Cavaliers won 50 games in his first season. They made the playoffs and won their first series.
In 2007, Brown's Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. However, they lost to his old team, the San Antonio Spurs.
In 2009, Brown was named the NBA Coach of the Year. He led the Cavaliers to a fantastic 66 wins, which was the best record in the league and a team record. The Cavaliers also won 61 games in the 2009–10 season. However, they lost in the playoffs to the Boston Celtics. Brown was later fired in May 2010.
Los Angeles Lakers (2011–2012)
In May 2011, Brown became the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He took over from the famous coach Phil Jackson. The 2011–12 season was shorter due to a player lockout. The Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Before the next season, the Lakers added superstar players like Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. This made them a very strong team on paper. However, the team struggled to play well together. Brown was fired after only five games into the 2012–13 season.
Second Time with Cleveland Cavaliers (2013–2014)
On April 24, 2013, the Cavaliers hired Brown again. The team's owner said that firing Brown the first time was a "mistake." However, the team had a losing record that season. Brown was fired by the Cavaliers for a second time in May 2014.
Return to Assistant Coaching
Golden State Warriors (2016–2022)
On July 6, 2016, the Golden State Warriors hired Brown as an assistant coach. He sometimes served as the acting head coach when head coach Steve Kerr was unable to coach due to back pain.
Brown led the Warriors to a perfect 12–0 record in the 2016–17 NBA playoffs when Kerr was out. The Warriors went on to win the championship that year. They finished the playoffs with an amazing 16–1 record, which is the best winning percentage in NBA playoff history.
The Warriors returned to the NBA Finals in 2018 and won again. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second year in a row. During these finals, Brown coached against LeBron James, whom he had coached for five years in Cleveland.
In 2022, Brown was the acting head coach for a playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors won that game. The Warriors then made it to the 2022 NBA Finals and won the championship. This gave Brown his fourth NBA championship as an assistant coach.
Sacramento Kings (2022–2024)
On May 9, 2022, Mike Brown was named the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. In his first season, he led the Kings to a 48–34 record. This was the team's first playoff appearance since 2006.
He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 2022–23 season. He received all 100 votes, becoming the first coach in history to win the award unanimously.
On December 27, 2024, the Kings fired Brown. This happened after the team started the 2024–25 season with a 13–18 record.
Coaching for His Country
On February 5, 2020, Mike Brown was chosen as the new head coach for Nigeria's men's national basketball team. He coached the team at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Head Coaching Record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 2005–06 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Central | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Cleveland | 2006–07 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Central | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | Lost in NBA Finals |
| Cleveland | 2007–08 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 2nd in Central | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Cleveland | 2008–09 | 82 | 66 | 16 | .805 | 1st in Central | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | Lost in conference finals |
| Cleveland | 2009–10 | 82 | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1st in Central | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| L.A. Lakers | 2011–12 | 66 | 41 | 25 | .621 | 1st in Pacific | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| L.A. Lakers | 2012–13 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cleveland | 2013–14 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 3rd in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Sacramento | 2022–23 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 1st in Pacific | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round |
| Sacramento | 2023–24 | 82 | 46 | 36 | .561 | 4th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Sacramento | 2024–25 | 31 | 13 | 18 | .419 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 758 | 454 | 304 | .599 | 90 | 50 | 40 | .556 |
Personal Life
Mike Brown's brother, Anthony Brown, played in the NFL.
Images for kids
-
Brown coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Mike Brown (entrenador) para niños
