Brett Brown ‘Saved’ Gregg Popovich by Returning to Spurs

Former 76ers head coach Brett Brown is "saving" Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.

In 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers ended their search for a new head coach by bringing in a first-timer for the job. From 2007 to 2013, Brett Brown was an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for the San Antonio Spurs.

He landed his first head coaching gig with the Sixers as they entered their “Process” era, which featured constant roster changes and tons of losing.

Many assumed that Brown would be out the door in favor of a seasoned veteran replacement when the Sixers started to turn things around. Fortunately, the guy who stuck around through dark times was given an opportunity to continue steering the ship while they went in a different direction.

Brown coached the Sixers through three-straight playoff runs. The Sixers made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals twice before coming up short of going to the Conference Championship game. During Brown’s final season in Philadelphia, the Sixers were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics.

Shortly after the loss, the Sixers announced they would move on from Brown after seven seasons and eventually replaced him with Doc Rivers.

For two years, Brown went dark. As head and assistant coaching positions became available around the league, Brown remained away from the game. That all changed this year. Over the offseason, Brown reunited with the Spurs to once again help coach with Popovich.

According to the Hall of Fame head coach, Brown has “saved” Popovich as the Spurs enter a rebuild of their own in 2022-2023.

“At this stage of my career, he’s saving my life,” said Popovich. “He’s got a great sense of humor. He’s a great basketball guy, so it’s fun to bounce things off him. As you all know, he’s an ultimate competitor.”

As a five-time champion and a gold medal winner, Popovich isn’t too familiar with the tanking process in the NBA. Knowing what Brown went through during his days as the Sixers’ head coach, Popovich couldn’t help but praise the former head coach for what he accomplished in Philly.

“What he put up with for those years are still beyond my comprehension because he did it with class and with discipline,” said Popovich. “He went to work every day; he loved those kids even though nothing special was gonna happen. There aren’t too many people like that. To have him back with us and with this young group is very special and very important for me personally.” 

Brown might get an opportunity to run his own team again in the future. For now, he’s back with his mentor, helping Popovich more than ever as the Spurs navigate through a long season with a young and inexperienced roster. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.