Larry Brown

Larry Brown is a former professional basketball player and coach. He is the first coach in the history of basketball to coach separate teams to the NCAA Championship and the NBA Championship. As a player he won a gold medal with the 1964 USA Basketball team. In 2002, he was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/

Late in the 2007-08 season, Brown was hired to coach the Charlotte Bobcats in the National Basketball Association. On December 22, 2010, he stepped down from the Bobcats after leading them to a 88-104 record in just over two seasons. Michael Jordan, CEO of the team, thanked Brown for his work, called the decision difficult and cited "change was necessary" to improve the team's performance.http://www.nba.com/bobcats/release_brown_101222.html

Lawrence Harvey Brown was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 14, 1940. In his youth, he attended Long Beach High School, then later the University of North Carolina, where he played and averaged 11.8 points per game under the tutelage of Dean Smith. He was selected for the 1964 Summer Olympics and went on to win a gold medal with fellow players Bill Bradley and Walt Hazzard.http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/moly_1964.html http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/

Brown spent several seasons in the American Basketball Association when it was founded in 1967.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/ He played with the New Orleans Buccaneers, Oakland Oaks, Washington Caps, Virginia Squires and Denver Rockets, leading the league in assists during the first three seasons.http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownla01.html Brown was also named the MVP of the 1968 ABA All-Star Game and helped the Oakland Oaks win the ABA Championship in 1968.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/

Brown's coaching career began with the ABA's Carolina Cougars and the Denver Rockets. He moved on to become the head coach of the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team and led them to the NCAA Championship title game losing to the University of Louisville. After a short stay with the New Jersey Nets in the National Basketball Association, Brown took over as head coach at the University of Kansas. He was named the Coach of the Year in 1988 while leading the Jayhawks to a national championship.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/

He moved back to the NBA later in 1988 where he made stops with the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers. Brown was named the NBA Coach of the Year with the 76ers in 2001. In 2004, he led the Detroit Pistons to the NBA Championship against the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown went on to coach the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/

On an international level, Brown also served as the assistant coach of the 2000 U.S. Men's Olympics Basketball Team, which won a gold medal, and the head coach of the team at the 2004 Olympics, winning a bronze medal.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/larry_brown/