Larry Brown
Larry Brown (born September 14, 1940)
Teams coached: Denver Nuggets, UCLA Bruins, New Jersey Nets, Kansas Jayhawks, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats, SMU Mustangs
UCLA record: 37-16 (.698) **
Kansas record: 135-44 (.754)
SMU record: 94-39 (.707)
Overall record^: 266-99 (.729) **
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 1 (1988)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 7 (1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2015) **
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 3 (1986, 1987, 1988) **
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 2 (1986, 1988) **
- NIT Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 2014)
- NIT Appearances: 1 (2014)
- AAC Regular Season Champion: 1 (2015)
- Big Eight Regular Season Champion: 1 (1986)
- Big Eight Tournament Champion: 2 (1984, 1986)
Awards:
- Naismith Coach of the Year: 1 (1988)
- Big Eight Coach of the Year: 1 (1986)
- NBA Coach of the Year: 1 (2001)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2002)
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2021-2022 | Memphis (asst) |
| 2018 | Auxilium Torino |
| 2012-2016 | SMU |
| 2008-2010 | Charlotte Bobcats |
| 2005-2006 | New York Knicks |
| 2003-2005 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1997-2003 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1993-1997 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1992-1993 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1988-1992 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1983-1988 | Kansas |
| 1981-1983 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1979-1981 | UCLA |
| 1974-1979 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1972-1974 | Carolina Cougars |
| 1965-1967 | North Carolina (asst) |
Larry Brown Facts
- Lawrence Harvey Brown
- Born September 14, 1940
- Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
- Alma Mater: University of North Carolina (1960-63)
- Attended and played PG at Long Beach High School in Lido Beach, New York
- Won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1961 Maccabiah Games in Israel
- Played for the UNC Tar Heels under legendary head coaches Frank McGuire and Dean Smith
- Won a gold medal as a player with the United States at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan
- Served as an assistant coach under Smith for two seasons after graduating
- Prior to becoming a head coach, Brown spent five seasons playing in ABA for three different franchises
- Head coaches Brown played for include Babe McCarthy, Alex Hannum, Al Bianchi and Stan Albeck
- First head coaching roles were with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA and then the Denver Nuggets (ABA and NBA)
- Spent two seasons as the head coach at UCLA, winning 37 games there
- Finished as NCAA Runner-up in 1980, though their NCAAT results were later vacated by the NCAA after two players were found to be ineligible
- Returned to the NBA to coach the New Jersey Nets for two seasons
- Coached at Kansas for five seasons, winning 135 games and going to the NCAA Tournament all five years
- Reached the Final Four twice and won the 1988 NCAA National Championship
- Spent the next 22 years coaching in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats
- Reached the NBA Playoffs 15 times, with three trips to the NBA Finals and one NBA title (with the 2004 Detroit Pistons)
- Was the head coach for four years at SMU, finishing as NIT Runner-up in 2014 and appearing in the 2015 NCAA Tournament
- Brown and SMU received NCAA sanctions due to academic fraud from a former administrative assistant
- In July 2016, Brown resigned from his role as head coach
- In June 2018, Brown accepted an offer to be head coach of Auxilium Torino from Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A (LBA)
- Parted ways with the organization midway through the 2018-19 season, with a record of 5-19
- In July 2021, Brown joined the coaching staff of Penny Hardaway at Memphis, his first collegiate assistant job since 1967
- Changed roles to special advisor in 2022 but later that year stepped down from his position due to health concerns
- Assistant for the United States during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, who won the gold medal
- Coached the United States to a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece
- Only head coach to win both an NBA Title and a NCAA National Championship
- Inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994
Larry Brown Coaching Tree
- Randy Ayers (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Bill Bayno (Loyola Marymount, UNLV)
- Chauncey Billups (Portland Trail Blazers)
- Bill Blair (Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets)
- Tad Boyle (Colorado, Northern Colorado)
- John Calipari (Arkansas, Kentucky, Memphis, New Jersey Nets, UMass)
- Maurice Cheeks (Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers)
- Speedy Claxton (Hofstra)
- Billy Cunningham (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Johnny Dawkins (UCF, Stanford)
- Bo Ellis (Chicago State)
- Mike Evans (Denver Nuggets)
- Larry Farmer (Loyola IL, Weber State, UCLA)
- Alvin Gentry (New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat)
- Sidney Green (Florida Atlantic, North Florida, Southampton)
- Darvin Ham (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Penny Hardaway (Memphis)
- Gar Heard (Washington Wizards)
- Bob Hill (Seattle SuperSonics, Fordham, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, NY Knicks)
- Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska, Chicago Bulls, Iowa State)
- Michael Holton (Portland)
- Juwan Howard (Michigan)
- Lindsey Hunter (Mississippi Valley State, Phoenix Suns)
- George Irvine (Detroit Pistons)
- Dan Issel (Denver Nuggets)
- Tim Jankovich (SMU)
- John Kuester (Detroit Pistons, George Washington, Boston University)
- Danny Manning (Maryland, Wake Forest, Tulsa)
- Ryan Marks (St. Francis IL, UT-Pan American, St. Edward’s, Southern Vermont)
- Aaron McKie (Temple)
- Doug Moe (Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs)
- Kevin Ollie (Connecticut)
- Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
- Kevin Pritchard (Portland Trail Blazers)
- Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic)
- John Robic (Youngstown State)
- Scott Roth (Iowa Wolves, Bakersfield Jam)
- Mike Schuler (LA Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers)
- Byron Scott (LA Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets)
- Bill Self (Kansas, Illinois, Tulsa, Oral Roberts)
- Quin Snyder (Utah Jazz, Austin Toros, Missouri)
- Jerry Stackhouse (Vanderbilt, Raptors 905)
- Rod Strickland (LIU)
- Monte Towe (New Orleans)
- Mark Turgeon (Maryland, Texas A&M, Wichita State, Jacksonville State)
- KT Turner (UT Arlington)
- Jan van Breda Kolff (St. Bonaventure, Pepperdine, Vanderbilt, Cornell)
- Kiki VanDeWeghe (New Jersey Nets)
- Donnie Walsh (Denver Nuggets)
- Rex Walters (San Francisco, Florida Atlantic)
- Monty Williams (Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans)
- Mike Woodson (Indiana, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks)
^ overall record includes only collegiate head coaching positions
** Listed accomplishments for this coach do not include wins or appearances later vacated by the NCAA.
