Brett Brown ('83) Named Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach
August 14, 2013 | Men's Basketball
Aug 14, 2013
Brett Brown Photo Galleries: 
Boston University | San Antonio Spurs/Australia
Philadelphia 76ers: Official Release | 1-on-1 Interview | 10 Things to Know about Brett Brown
Philadelphia Inquirer: Brown excited as he takes Sixers job
Philadelphia Daily News: Rick Pitino sings praises of Brown, his former player at BU
The Forecaster: A Proud Pop - Bob Brown thrilled as son takes over 76ers
PHILADELPHIA - After spending the past seven seasons as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, former two-time Boston University men's basketball captain Brett Brown ('83) has been named head coach of the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers.
With the hiring, Brown becomes the fourth with ties to the BU program to become a head coach in the NBA, joining former Terrier head coaches Rick Pitino (1978-83) and John Kuester (1983-85). Steve Clifford was an assistant from 1990-94 before recently being tabbed the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.
The NBA also becomes the fourth U.S. sports professional league to feature a BU alum at the top coaching slot, joining the WNBA, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. America East Player of the Year Steven Key ('90) served as an assistant and head coach of the WNBA's Chicago Sky from 2006-10 before he left for coaching opportunities in Europe.
A four-year letter winner for the Terriers from 1979-1983, Brown was a 5-foot-11, 165-pound point guard. He helped BU post a combined 74-42 (.638) record, highlighted by berths to the NIT in 1980 and to the NCAA tournament in 1983.
As a sophomore, he averaged 6.0 points per game but more importantly led the team in assists with 120 while finishing second in steals with 50 to receive the coveted Lou Cohen MVP award. He finished his collegiate career third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.19), fourth all-time in assists (404) and eighth in steals (141).
Following graduation, he served one season as a graduate assistant under Kuester and then went to play in Australia, where he eventually became the head coach of the North Melbourne Giants in 1993. Named 1994 NBL Coach of the Year in 1994, he earned 149 career victories, sixth-most in league history.
Brown joined the Spurs in 1998 as a member of their basketball operations department and was later named director of player development in 2002. He was moved to the bench as an assistant coach prior to the 2006-07 season. The Spurs captured all four of the team's championship titles with him on staff.
The Australian National Team tabbed Brown head coach in March of 2009 in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games after he served as an assistant with the team in 1996 and 2000.
Brown led Australia to the FIBA Oceania Championship over rival New Zealand in 2011 to secure a bid to the 2012 Olympics. While in London, he guided Australia to what many consider one of its best Olympic runs, culminating with a win over eventual bronze medalist Russia before being eliminated by Team USA in the quarterfinals. Overall, Australia compiled a 3-3 mark without the services of injured NBA star Andrew Bogut.
