Part 1: He’ll probably be here today
I’m in Scarsdale, standing outside of Eye Designs of Westchester, and waiting for Mike Brown, head coach of the NBA Champion New York Knicks. This is where Brown goes for glasses, and if my calculations are correct, today would be his six-month checkup. Or tomorrow. Or one day this week.
I take a break to buy a Gatorade from the nearby gas station. It’s hot, the kind of heat that makes perspiration cover the surface of a large, bald dome like Mike’s. He’s so bald you doubt he ever had hair. Oh, but
he did.
Raised in a military family that moved frequently between the United States, Germany, and Japan, young Michael Burton developed discipline, adaptability, and attention to detail while his hair grew in nice and thick. Friends recall that he was more than just a handsome head of hair; they say he was intelligent, organized, and fiercely loyal. Whether standing up for classmates, helping teammates improve after practice, or delivering newspapers at 3 a.m. for an injured teammate, Brown consistently put others first and never gloated about his looks. Sometimes friends caught him checking his profile in the reflective glass of a trophy case, but he insisted (a little bashfully) that he was only imagining himself winning the Larry O’Brien for the Knicks. Can you imagine having such foresight?!
I want to pop my head into Eye Designs and ask if Mike has arrived in my absence, but the receptionist mentioned the police last time. Instead, I resume my post just past the corner of the front window and patiently sip my Gatorade (lemon-lime, which I assume to be Mike’s favorite).
You might ask, “Why does Mike always ask who let the dogs out?” Because he’s the original dog and wants to reconnect with his pack. After hooping at Mesa Community College and the University of San Diego, Brown entered the NBA through dogged persistence. He convinced the Denver Nuggets to create an internship for him, performed every task asked of him without complaint, and quickly established himself as a tireless worker. Brown progressed from intern to video coordinator, scout, and assistant coach. Janitors often reported that Brown slept in the office while studying film, resting his head (still adorned with truly excellent hair) on the desk.
His work ethic and attention to detail became defining traits throughout his career. Former coach Bernie Bickerstaff is rumored to have said, “If success is the ankle, Mike is a dog who refuses to let it go.” (Truth: I started that rumor.) During that time, Mike sometimes babysat Bernie’s little brat, J.B. These are the sacrifices, folks.
Brown began his NBA coaching career under Bickerstaff with the Washington Wizards in 1997 before suffering under the constant geniality of Rick Carlisle with the Indiana Pacers. Around this time, Mike began shaving his head. The new look inspired Carlisle, who said, “Geez, that looks so good on Mike; maybe bald would look good on me.” Rick was mistaken.
Mike later joined Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio and won his first championship as an assistant in 2003. During these formative years, Brown built a coaching foundation rooted in defense, accountability, and preparation while learning from some of the most respected basketball minds in the sport.
On a recent episode of the Roommates podcast, Brown reflected on his time in Texas. “I’ll never forget at the end of my first year there, we were meeting as a staff, and Pop says, ‘I got to thank Tim Duncan.’ Why? […] He said, ‘Mikey, if your best player doesn’t allow you to coach him, you have no shot at coaching anybody else on the team. And Tim allows me to do it.’” Mikey’s time in San Antonio was great because of a) Pop’s lessons and b) his babysitting days were finally behind him.
Back in Scarsdale, the sun is melting me, so I slip into Candis (no apostrophe) Nail and Spa next door. I inquire about the cost of a pedicure. The woman who greets me takes one look at my sandaled feet and says, “For you, it’s double.” That hardly seems fair, so I decline. Before leaving, I ask if Mike Brown ever patronizes the place, and she says, “For him, it’s free.” It pays to coach the Knicks. I return to my post and contemplate whether wearing a shirt with Mike’s face on it makes me seem a little creepy.
You know who has kinda creepy tendencies? LeBron James, whom Mike coached in Cleveland. Brown took the head coaching job there in 2005, at the tender age of 35. He quickly established himself as one of the league’s premier defensive coaches, leading a young LeBron and the Cavs to the 2007 NBA Finals. And isn’t it poetic that Mike had to defeat two former teams, the Cavs and the Spurs, to win a trophy with the Knicks?
Brown’s emphasis on defense became the foundation of Cleveland’s rise. James credits Brown for shaping those early teams. “Mike gave us a defensive identity early in my career,” James said in June 2024, during an episode of his Mind the Game podcast. “We bought into his system, and that’s the reason we made our first Finals run in ’07. He deserves a lot of credit for setting that foundation.” That did not stop Bron from taking his talents to South Beach, but moving along. . . .
Cleveland posted a 305-187 regular-season record during Brown’s first stint, including consecutive 60-win seasons and a franchise-record 66 victories in 2008-09. Brown won NBA Coach of the Year in 2009. Despite consistent regular-season excellence, Cleveland never returned to the Finals, and Brown was dismissed during the uncertainty surrounding LeBron’s impending free agency. Believe it or not, this would not be the first time Mike won COTY and only to be pink-slipped soon after.
A blue BMW parks in the lot, and I wonder what Mike drives. My guess is a maroon Mini Cooper, with the driver’s seat pushed back to the trunk and a Planet Fitness sticker on the bumper. A short, dumpy dude decamps from the beamer and heads into the Math Learning Center, which is cleverly called Mathnasium. Cute. I get lost in thoughts of kids trying to use calculators while jumping on trampolines and chide myself to stay focused.
The next stop on Brown’s timeline is a stint with the Lakers, where he inherited a veteran roster featuring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard. At the time, he was viewed primarily as a defensive specialist whose offenses lacked creativity. The Lakers hired him to stabilize a team that had drifted from its championship peak, but Brown lasted only five games into his second season before being fired. He later returned to Cleveland for a second stint, only to be dismissed again shortly before LeBron’s return to the franchise. He was replaced by David Blatt, known for a remarkable ability to sleep with his eyes open.
Ever determined, Mike reframed those setbacks as turning points. After years of being defined as a defense-first coach, Brown joined Steve Kerr’s staff with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. The six seasons he spent in Golden State became the most important developmental period of his career. Working alongside Kerr, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, Brown expanded his understanding of offense, player empowerment, and relationship-building. He saw how elite defense could coexist with offensive freedom, ball movement, and creativity. Brown won three championships as an assistant and occasionally stepped in as acting head coach. More importantly, he evolved from a rigid tactician into a more adaptable and collaborative leader.
Steve Kerr has been complimentary of his former assistant. “What Mike has done for me, for this organization in his six years here, he’s made just an incredible contribution. He’s an amazing coach, amazing friend.” He could not, however, convince Steve to join the bald brotherhood, especially after seeing what happened to Carlisle.
From 2020 to 2022, Brown coached the Nigerian men’s national basketball team, the D’Tigers. In the exhibition warm-ups for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he led the team to a shocking 90-87 upset over Team USA in Las Vegas—marking the first time an African nation had ever defeated the United States in basketball. Despite boasting a roster packed with NBA talent, Nigeria’s subsequent Olympic run ended in the group stage with a 0-3 record. Brown also helmed the team through FIBA AfroBasket 2021 before departing in 2022 to take on a more prestigious gig.
As Kerr knows about the NBA, it’s Biz before Bros. Soon, his top assistant was on the move again, becoming top dog with the Sacramento Kings in 2022. Rather than focusing exclusively on schemes and discipline, Mike emphasized confidence, belief, and culture-building.
“He brought a lot to us and got everyone to buy in from the first day,” said De’Aaron Fox. “He established a good working relationship with the guys. He came in here and told us we were going to be winners, and guys believed in him right from the start.”
Brown’s accountability was equally important. Fox later described a coach who challenged every player regardless of status. “He holds everyone accountable from day one,” Fox said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an All-Star or the last guy on the bench, he’s going to watch film and call you out if you aren’t defending,” Fox added that Mike was the only adult male he knew who admitted to owning a Baha Men CD.
Brown pushed Fox toward a different level of self-motivation. “You’ve got to figure out how to get to that level without having somebody piss you off,” Brown told him. “Because you’re a great player and great players get to that level on their own.”
Brown took over a franchise coming off a 30-win season and a 16-year playoff drought. In his first season, Sacramento improved by 18 wins, produced the league’s top offense, and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Brown became the first unanimous NBA Coach of the Year in league history (an award which, if you know Mike’s story, is the kiss of death). His Kings teams played fast, moved the ball, and shattered the perception that he was merely a defensive specialist. Brown’s greatest growth was no longer tactical; it was philosophical. He shifted from trying to control every detail to helping players believe in their potential.
Less than two years later, Sacramento fired Brown following a slow start to the season. The decision stunned the league and further cemented Brown’s reputation as a coach whose accomplishments often went undervalued. Rather than dwelling on another dismissal, Brown kept his rose-colored glasses firmly in place and set his gaze toward orange and blue skies.
My stomach grumbles and I am thinking about buying a sub from Sal’s Market next door. Suddenly, a 2019 Volkswagen Beetle steers into the lot. Not quite a Mini Cooper, but in the ballpark. Could it be Coach Brown? Nervously, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and wait to see who will emerge from the vehicle.
To be continued . . .
