New York Knicks name Mike Brown head coach

Mike Brown (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)

The New York Knicks have named Mike Brown of Columbus, Ohio as their new head coach according to Sean Leahy of Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday. Brown replaces Tom Thibodeau of New Britain, Connecticut, who was fired on June 3. The firing of Thibodeau was stunning as the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025.

Brown has  been the NBA head coach for three teams in the past. He was with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010, and again from 2013 to 2014, the Los Angeles Lakers from 2011 to 2013, and the Sacramento Kings from 2022 to 2024. In 758 regular season games, Brown has a record of 454 wins, and 304 losses with a winning percentage of .599. Brown also has a winning percentage above .500 in the postseason. In 90 playoff games, Brown has a record of 50 wins and 40 losses for a winning percentage of .556.

Like Thibodeau, Brown was shockingly fired this past season. He was replaced by Doug Christie on December 27, when the Kings opened the season at 13 wins and 18 losses. The firing was a surprise because Brown was the NBA Coach of the Year in 2023, and won unanimously after posting a regular season record of 48 wins and 34 losses. This was Brown’s first season in Sacramento, and improved the Kings by 18 wins from the year before.

This was the second time Brown was the NBA Coach of the Year. He was previously honoured while with the Cavaliers in 2009.

Four times Brown won the NBA Finals as an assistant coach. He was with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, and the Golden State Warriors in 2017, 2018, and 2022. Brown was also an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers.

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