Larry Brown's Odyssey

SI Staff | Apr 19, 2012

Larry Brown's Odyssey /

Larry Brown's Odyssey

Larry Brown played guard at North Carolina from 1960-63. After beginning his professional career with a two-year stint in the National AAU Basketball League, he returned to the Tar Heels in 1965 and spent the next two seasons as an assistant coach to Dean Smith.

After that coaching stint at North Carolina, Brown played five seasons in the ABA, where he made three All-Star teams and led the league in assists three times. This photo, taken in March 1972, shows Brown during his final season as a pro, playing point guard for the Denver Rockets.

Brown began his head-coaching career with the ABA's Carolina Cougars in 1972. He was Coach of the Year his first season (when the Cougars reached the ABA semifinals) and compiled a 104-64 record in two seasons.

After the Cougars relocated to St. Louis in 1974, Brown became coach of the ABA's Denver Nuggets. He went 125-43 his first two seasons, earning Coach of the Year honors both times. Brown remained at the helm when the Nuggets became one of four ABA franchises to join the NBA in 1976, but he resigned in the middle of the 1978-79 season.

Brown took over as coach at UCLA in 1979 and surprisingly led the Bruins to the 1980 NCAA title game in his first season. Brown's second -- and last -- season at UCLA ended with a loss to BYU in the second round of the Big Dance.

After being lured by a hefty pay raise, Brown returned to the NBA with the New Jersey Nets in 1981. It would be another short tenure, as Brown, late in his second season in New Jersey, interviewed for the Kansas job (with the Nets' permission) and ultimately accepted the position. The Nets fired him with six games left in the regular season and went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs.

Brown went 135-44 in five seasons with the Jayhawks. The highlight came when a Danny Manning-led team won the national championship in 1988, after which Brown accepted the UCLA job again ... only to return to Kansas ... only to then leave soon thereafter for the San Antonio Spurs.

Brown spent three-plus seasons in San Antonio before being fired in January 1992. He, of course, didn't stay unemployed for long, catching on with the Clippers less than a month later -- Los Angeles' seventh coach in 11 seasons.

''I hope this is my last stop, and I don't just mean two or three years,'' Brown said upon being introduced by the Clippers. Two years was about right; Brown breathed life into the Clippers with back-to-back playoff appearances, but he bolted for the Pacers after the 1992-93 season.

The Pacers reached the conference finals twice in Brown's four years, but his last season, in 1996-97, ended without a postseason berth. He would be replaced by Larry Bird.

Brown's longest NBA stop (six seasons) came in Philadelphia, where he reached the 2001 Finals with Allen Iverson, the franchise player with whom the coach had a love-hate relationship.

Declaring yet again that ''this will be my last stop,'' Brown took over the Pistons in 2003-04. He led them to the NBA title that season, becoming the first coach to win championships in the NBA and NCAA. Detroit reached the Finals the following season, but the Pistons grew tired of reports that Brown was negotiating for another job. The Pistons bought out Brown's contract after the Pistons' Finals loss to San Antonio.

Brown didn't cover himself in glory in coaching Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, which included his clashing with Carmelo Anthony.

Landing his ''dream job,'' Brown took over the Knicks in 2005-06 with a five-year deal reportedly worth $50 million. The nightmarish reality: The Knicks went 23-59, Brown clashed with Stephon Marbury, among others, and the coach lasted just that one season before reaching a buyout.

After spending a year in the 76ers' front office, the 67-year-old Brown returned to the coaching ranks in April 2008. He was hired by Michael Jordan to coach the Bobcats. ''I think I've coached almost everybody in the NBA,'' Brown said at his introduction, "but I'm going to challenge everybody to do their best.'' In 2009-10, Brown led the Bobcats to a team-record 44 victories and the first playoff berth in franchise history. But Charlotte couldn't sustain the success early the next season: In December 2010, Brown stepped down after a 9-19 start.

gal.brown.jpg — Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

After 25 years away from the college game, Brown made the surprising decision to return with SMU, a program that has not reached the NCAA tournament since 1993 and is moving to the competitive Big East after next season. SMU becomes the 14th stop of Brown's coaching career.

Published Apr 19, 2012

SI STAFF