Lawrence Harvey “Larry” Brown was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, on September 14, 1940, where he spent most of his childhood playing basketball.

Early Life And Education

Larry went on to play basketball at Long Beach High School and later at the University of North Carolina, where he was a member of the varsity team. Larry declared his readiness to be drafted in the 1963 NBA draft in 1963. As a result, the Baltimore Bullets selected him as the 55th overall pick in the 7th round. In 1967, he joined the ABA’s New Orleans Buccaneers as a point guard. In 1968, he left the Buccaneers for the ABA’s Oakland Oaks/ Washington Caps/ Virginia Squires. He was a member of the Oaks until 1971. Brown went on to play for the ABA’s Denver Rockets before retiring in 1972. With 4229 points, 1005 rebounds, and 2509 assists in the ABA, he had a successful career. Brown went on to win a gold medal with the 1964 Summer Olympics team.

Professional Career

Brown began his coaching career in 1972. He coached the ABA’s Carolina Cougars until 1974 when he moved to the ABA and NBA’s Denver Nuggets. He began coaching the UCLA Bruins in 1979 and led them to new heights. Brown then moved on to the New Jersey Nets in 1981 before coaching the Kansas Jayhawks until 1989. Brown went on to coach the San Antonio Spurs until 1992. He then became the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers until 1993. In his long coaching career, the Indiana Pacers were the next team he coached. He then went on to coach the Philadelphia 76ers until 2003, before moving to the Detroit Pistons. In 2005, he left the Pistons to coach the New York Knicks 2006. Brown went on to coach the Charlotte Bobcats until 2010, when he was hired as the head coach of the SMU Mustangs.

Brown holds the distinction of being the only coach in NBA history to win both an NCAA and an NBA championship. His overall professional coaching record in the ABA and NBA is 1,275-965. Brown is also the only coach in NBA history to lead eight different teams to the playoffs, as well as the only player to coach two different NBA franchises in the same season.

Personal Life

In 1993, Brown married Shelly Brown. Since then, the lovely couple has been inseparable. Madison Brown, Alli Brown, L.J. Brown, and Kristen Brown are their four children, all of whom are very active in their respective fields.

Body Measurement And Awards

Brown is currently 74 years old, weighs 75 kilograms, and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. Brown has won numerous awards throughout his career, including NBA Coach of the Year, NBA All-Star Game head coach, NCAA champion, 3 ABA Coach of the Year, ABA All-Star, and ABA Champion. In 2002, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. Larry Brown is regarded as one of the best coaches in the ABA’s history.