Larry Brown

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Brown's journey began in Brooklyn, New York, where he was born on September 14, 1940. Standing 5 ft 9 in as a point guard, he faced doubts about his size for the pros but excelled at the University of North Carolina under Frank McGuire and Dean Smith, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 1963. His professional playing career flourished in the ABA from 1967 to 1972, where he led the league in assists per game for its first three seasons. He was named MVP of the ABA's first All-Star Game in 1968 and holds the single-game assist record with 23. His playing resume also includes a gold medal with Team USA at the 1964 Summer Olympics, capping a stellar era as a player before he transitioned to coaching.

In Their Own Story

In February 1979, Larry Brown resigned from the Denver Nuggets under apparent strain following a clash with general manager Carl Scheer over refusing to trade Dan Issel. By March 17, 1981, he left UCLA for the New Jersey Nets, where the team improved to 47–29 in his second season. Advised by owner Joe Taub, Brown resigned on April 6, 1983, to take the Kansas job. There, he rebuilt the program, signing Danny Manning and Ed Manning. The 1987–88 Jayhawks rallied from a 12–8 start to win the national championship as a 6-seed, defeating Duke and Oklahoma in the Final Four. Manning scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the final, earning Most Outstanding Player honors for a team that finished 27–11.

Reader's Guide

Larry Brown's coaching record includes leading eight different NBA franchises to the playoffs, a unique feat in league history. He notably coached two teams simultaneously during the 1991–92 season, serving as head coach for both the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers. His lifetime professional coaching record stands at 1,275–965 across the ABA and NBA. Beyond his playing days in the ABA and NCAA success with Kansas, he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 27, 2002. On July 8, 2021, the National Basketball Coaches Association awarded him the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a career defined by winning championships at every level.

Did You Know?

• Brown is the only coach in NBA history to lead eight different franchises to the playoffs.
• He was the only person ever to coach two NBA franchises (Spurs and Clippers) in the same season during 1991–92.
• His 1988 Kansas team won the NCAA title with 11 losses, a record for most losses by an NCAA champion.
• He holds the ABA career assist record with 23 assists in a single game and was the league's all-time assist leader when he retired as a player.