New York (AFP) – Mike Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, has been hired as head coach of the New York Knicks, the NBA team announced on Monday. The 55-year-old American went 454-304 as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento. The Kings fired him last December after a 13-18 start.
“After a thorough and extensive search process, we are pleased to announce Mike Brown as the head coach of the New York Knicks,” Knicks president Leon Rose said. “Mike has coached on the biggest stages in our sport and brings championship pedigree to our organization. His experience leading the bench during the NBA Finals, winning four titles as an assistant coach, and his ability to grow and develop players will all help us as we aim to bring a championship to New York for our fans.”
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The Knicks, who have not won an NBA title since 1973, reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, but lost to the Indiana Pacers. That was enough to prompt the Knicks to fire Tom Thibodeau last month after five years as head coach. “Leon and our staff ran a thorough and thoughtful process that led our organization to Mike and I’m pleased to see him on the sideline for us next season,” Knicks owner James L. Dolan said.
Brown went 107-88 as coach of the Kings for three seasons. In the 2022-23 campaign, his first at Sacramento, Brown’s team won 48 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006 as he took the NBA Coach of the Year award, the first to do so by a unanimous vote.
After assistant stops at Washington, San Antonio, and Indiana — including a staff role on the 2003 San Antonio NBA title run — Brown was named coach of the Cavaliers in 2005 and with rising superstar LeBron James. Brown oversaw the Cavs reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1998 and into the 2007 NBA Finals. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the first time in 2010 after guiding Cleveland to a league-high 66 triumphs.
He was fired in May 2010 as the Cavs were set to welcome James back from his stint in Miami. Brown replaced Phil Jackson as coach of the Lakers one year later, only to be fired in November 2012. Brown was rehired by the Cavs in 2013 but fired again after they went 33-49 and missed the playoffs.
From 2016-2022, Brown was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, who captured three NBA titles during his stay there. In the 2017 playoffs, Brown went 12-0 while coach Steve Kerr was absent during the Warriors’ championship run. Brown left for the Kings in 2022.
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