Even though Knicks coach Mike Brown got some of his coaching chops as a Spurs assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2000-2003, he didn’t try to reach out to him before the NBA Finals.
Fear? Destruction.
“He has experience,” Brown said before Game 1 against the Spurs. “He’s very competitive. When I reach out to him for advice, he’ll give me BS that I can’t argue with.”
Brown’s joke was all over Popovich’s fingers.
See, when you’re raised in Popovich’s coaching tree, certain values are emphasized above all others, namely humor.
During Popovich’s 29 seasons in charge of the Spurs, he wanted people around him who could laugh at themselves. He turned to comedy to break the pressure of an 82-game marathon.
Although he was very competitive, he emphasized that basketball is just a silly game. He is famous for cutting people on his staff who can’t eat or make a joke.
Maybe that’s why the partnership between Popovich and Brown worked.
Brown is deeply likable. He is quick to laugh. He doesn’t hesitate to make fun of himself.
And now, after leading the Knicks to a 105-104 win over the Spurs in Game 2 on Friday, Brown has won twice in his first NBA championship as a head coach.
It’s been a long road for Brown, who has spent 29 years as an assistant or head coach for eight NBA franchises, including four stints as a leading man.
Brown has coached the league’s biggest stars, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. He coached under respected coaches including Popovich and Steve Kerr. But now, for the first time in his career, the Larry O’Brien Trophy is inside him as the head of the locker room.
Brown points to his time under Popovich as one of the biggest reasons this moment happened.
“It was huge,” Brown said. “Pop – I’m talking about the unique MSG, New York City has become iconic – Pop is iconic, especially here in San Antonio. When you talk about the game of basketball, he’s an icon for everyone who enjoys the game of basketball.”
During Brown’s three seasons under Popovich, he saw firsthand how the winningest coach in NBA history operated. They won the championship together in 2003, the second of Popovich’s five rings during his 22 consecutive years in the postseason.
Brown said the biggest thing he took from Popovich actually had nothing to do with basketball.
“What’s neat about him is that he’s not just learning X’s and O’s,” Brown said. “You know you’ll never be him, but you learn people skills. You learn to connect, not just 15 or 18 players, you learn to connect the whole city, maybe even the whole region.”
That understanding has proven useful for Brown, who is in his first season in charge of the Knicks after being fired by the Kings in December 2024. In a short period of time, Brown has won over Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the city with the biggest market in the NBA.
But Popovich’s impact on the Browns goes deeper than that.
When Brown split from his wife in 2002, Popovich famously threatened to fire him if he left with the team instead of spending a little time with his two young sons, who cried as he drove them to the airport to say goodbye.
Popovich also famously gave Brown a helping hand after he was fired by the Cavaliers in 2014. He joined Spurs as a volunteer consultant, which helped put him back on the map before being hired as an assistant at the Warriors in 2016.
“He’s not the kind of person he is [in] it hurts people in their lives,” Brown said. “I grew up a lot myself. Everyone goes through good times and bad times in their personal life. When I was here, I experienced good times and bad times. He helped me a lot with those.”
The 77-year-old Popovich is now overseeing the Spurs, having retired after suffering a stroke in November 2024.
After games, he regularly writes to Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, trying to help the future of the league reach his full potential. But down the sideline, on the enemy’s side, sits one of his supporters.
Brown credits Popovich for not only helping him reach the pinnacle of his career but also for being his friend.
“He’s a special person,” Brown said.
