College - San Diego
A proven NBA winner yet also a rising star in his profession, Mike Brown enters his first season with the Lakers after being named the 22nd head coach in franchise history (18th in the Los Angeles era) on May 31, 2011. Joining the Lakers after spending the 2010-11 season as an NBA analyst for ESPN, Brown previously served as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-10.

Tabbed in June of 2005 to become the 17th head coach in Cavaliers franchise history, the then 35-year-old Brown, at the time the second youngest coach league-wide, quickly became one of the most successful. In five seasons, Brown compiled a 272-138 regular season record as well as a 42-29 postseason mark; ranking fifth in NBA history (minimum 400 games) with a .663 regular season win percentage and 10th in NBA history (minimum 25 games) with a .592 playoff win percentage.

The fourth youngest coach in NBA history to win 60 games in a season (39 years old), Brown led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and NBA-best records in both 2008-09 (66-16) and 2009-10 (61-21). Named 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year, his ‘08-09 team became just the 12th squad in NBA history to record at least 66 victories in a season while he and his staff earned the honor that year to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star Team at the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix, AZ. Leading the Cavaliers to no worse than the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of his five seasons, Brown concluded his career in Cleveland with the most playoff victories and highest postseason win percentage in franchise history.

Prior to joining the Cavaliers, Brown spent two seasons as the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers and three seasons as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. Posting a 341-201 (.629) record as an assistant coach, he won a division title with Indiana (2003-04) and three straight division titles with San Antonio (2000-03). In Indiana, he helped lead the Pacers to consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004. While with the Spurs, Brown was on the bench for the team’s 2003 NBA Championship. Also serving as head coach for the Spurs’ summer league teams in Boston and Salt Lake City during the offseason, over his three years with San Antonio, the Spurs won at least 58 games each season.

After attending high school in Germany at Wurzburg American High School, Brown, a 1992 graduate of the University of San Diego with a degree in business, played basketball two seasons at USD following two years at Mesa Community College. Upon graduation, the 41-year- old Columbus, Ohio native began his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets in 1992, where he spent five seasons, first as the team’s video coordinator and then as a scout. Following his time with the Nuggets, Brown spent three years with the Washington Wizards beginning in 1997, serving the first two years as an assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff and his final year as the team’s professional scout.

A participant in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program in Johannesburg, South Africa during the summer of 2006, Brown and his wife, Carolyn, have been actively involved in community relations initiatives such as “Domestic Violence Center,” “Cleveland Municipal School District,” “Cleveland Christian Home” and “Shoes & Clothes for Kids” throughout his coaching career.

He and Carolyn reside in Anaheim Hills with their two sons, Elijah and Cameron.