Former NBA Coach of the Year and new Kings coach Mike Brown has spent the last 21 seasons honing his craft while working with some of the most talented players and coaches the NBA has to offer.
Here’s what some of those key figures had to say about Brown along the way:
DAN GILBERT
“Mike Brown is one of these rare people that has nearly every tool in his toolbox. He is smart, hardworking, and selfless. He is curious and hungry to learn. He is philosophically driven and derives his decision making from his strong philosophy. Mike is a man of character and integrity. He is a natural leader and has a ‘magnetic charisma’ which automatically attracts people to him and his message. He has stuck to his ‘defense first’ strategy when it would have been much easier not to. As a human being, Mike treats everyone with respect no matter who they are or where they come from,” Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert said after it was announced Brown won NBA Coach of the Year.
LEBRON JAMES
“Mike Brown is a great coach,” James said after the Lakers hired Brown before the 2011-12 season. “He gave us success that we hadn’t had before in that city. It just started with his defensive concepts. He brought in a defensive mindset that we didn’t have. … We were competitive year after year because of him and his coaching staff.
“I respect him and I’m grateful to have him as a coach throughout the years that I had him. He definitely helped me to become who I am today.”
STEPHEN JACKSON
"Steve [Kerr] is a guy I'd go to war for anytime. Him and Mike Brown are those guys that they always tell me that, 'Jack, you my guy, you my guy,' so those guys I learned from, and I wish I could go to war with them every day because they always have my back." Jackson told SiriusXM NBA Radio.
STEVE KERR
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Kerr said when asked about Brown’s hiring. “What Mike has done for me, for this organization in his six years here, just an incredible contribution, he’s an amazing coach, amazing friend. And Sacramento made a great choice.
“It’s a loss for us, but this is how it’s supposed to work. You want people who are really talented on your staff who can come in and contribute and have a great experience and hopefully learn and grow at the same time and then hopefully be able to advance careers and move on to something that that person wants. Mike’s ready to do this again. He’s excited and we’re thrilled for him. Much deserved, he’s a great choice.”
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“Having him oversee the defense was an easy choice for me,” Kerr said. “Mike has always been very passionate about the defense. He’s always been very knowledgeable.
“To say he’s done a great job would be an understatement. He’s been terrific.”
KLAY THOMPSON
“Mike is very, very prideful of defense,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s like a secondary head coach. Coached us throughout that time in the 2017 playoffs. Coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Finals. He’s been around some of the greatest to play the game. This might technically be a new role for him this season. But really, it’s nothing he hasn’t done before.”
DRAYMOND GREEN
"Congratulations to Mike Brown on getting the head coach (job) for the Sacramento Kings," Green said on The Draymond Green Show. "I think the Sacramento Kings are on a (16-year) playoff drought. I have no doubt in my mind that Mike is going to take his championship pedigree, his incredible -- especially defensive -- mind, incredible basketball mind with an incredible staff to Sacramento with him. I think it won't be long before that streak is broken."
DANNY FERRY
“From Day 1, he’s established the identity of being a defensive coach and our team being a defensive team,” Former Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry said. “That’s not easy to pound away at and get through every day. You’ve got to really believe what you’re saying.”
“Mike sets the tone with how hard he works.”
JOE SMITH
“He’s probably one of the best player’s coaches I’ve been around,” said forward Joe Smith, who played for 10 NBA teams.
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS
“We never lose a game because we’re not prepared,” former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. “I’ve been under a lot of coaches, but when you get a good one, you know what you have… He treats everybody well. He demands a lot, but he’s fair.”