ON HER GAME: Christine Brennan Discusses the Rise and Revolution of Caitlin Clark
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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Mike Brown has faced pressure before, but this time might be different. Welcome to the Knicks
Mike Brown is familiar with pressure. He coached LeBron James to his first MVP and NBA Finals appearance. He was the Los Angeles Lakers coach tasked with steering the final years of Kobe Bryant's greatness in the right direction. He was right next to Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry as they orchestrated the league's latest dynasty. Advertisement He's been to the finals as a head coach. He's won four NBA titles as an assistant/associate coach with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. He made a dysfunctional franchise respectable as a head coach. He's been fired after one year as a head coach. He's been fired in the middle of seasons. The New York Knicks wanted experience when looking for Tom Thibodeau's replacement, per league sources, and that's why Brown is now their guy. On Wednesday, multiple league sources confirmed to The Athletic that Brown and the Knicks are working on finalizing a contract to make him the franchise's next head coach. The hiring comes weeks after New York fired Thibodeau following the team's first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years. But there's pressure, and then there's New York. Brown's about to learn what it's like to be a Knick. The 55-year-old coach isn't just walking into one of the NBA's most followed and starved franchises. That's pressure in itself. But he's now the head coach of the team that made it very clear that doing something it hadn't done in a quarter century still wasn't good enough. The Knicks, per league sources, are singularly focused on winning a championship. They believe Brown gives them the best chance to do that. Whether Brown will be an upgrade over Thibodeau for this iteration of New York basketball is yet to be seen. We're months away from learning that. What we do know, though, is that everything that comes with being in New York, Brown has gone through something similar. LeBron. Kobe. The lights don't get much brighter than when standing next to those two. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year was the only candidate the Knicks ended up bringing back for a second interview, per league sources. It was a patient search that featured multiple twists and turns. New York's front office led by Leon Rose reached out to employed head coaches (like Houstons' Ime Udoka and Dallas' Jason Kidd), assistant coaches (like Minnesota's Micah Nori, Dallas' Sean Sweeney and New Orleans' James Borrego), recently fired head coaches (like Brown and Taylor Jenkins) and even held a conversation with South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. Rose and Co., per league sources, didn't feel rushed to make a hire since the Knicks were the only team in the NBA with a vacancy. Advertisement New York went into the initial stages of the hiring process with Brown's name circled. Per league sources, the Knicks liked Brown's extensive résumé and the fact that he's worn many hats in the NBA. New York, led by stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, liked that Brown has worked with James, Bryant and Curry. The Knicks liked that Brown came up under Popovich, worked alongside Kerr and won championships with both. New York was impressed at how Brown turned the Sacramento Kings around and helped them win 45-plus games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the lowly franchise's history since 2006. Before he was fired by Sacramento after 31 games last season, Brown helped turn De'Aaron Fox into an All-Star. In 2022-23, Brown and the Kings had the best offensive efficiency since tracking began in 1996. Now, Brown is tasked with pushing the Knicks to the next level, into a tier of champions. The Knicks' offense, while it finished the regular season with the fifth-best rating in the NBA, was a bit deceiving. Things started hot for New York on that end of the floor until around the top of the calendar year, when teams started regularly guarding Towns with smaller, athletic wings and putting their centers on Josh Hart. The Knicks' offense, despite all of its firepower in the starting lineup, ranked just 16th from Jan. 1 until the end of the regular season (Brunson missed a month due to injury in March). In the postseason, veteran-laden New York struggled with the up-and-coming, injured Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks found themselves down by 20 points late in both Games 1 and 2 before pulling off miraculous comeback wins that helped them eventually take down the defending champions. Ultimately, New York ended up in the Eastern Conference finals. That's an achievement worth celebrating. However, even with that success, it's also easy to understand how the franchise's decision-makers looked at how the Knicks got to that point and came to the conclusion that this team needed a shake-up in order to get to the next level. *Enter Mike Brown* Advertisement The Knicks are positioned as well as any team in the Eastern Conference to make the leap next season. On paper, New York should be one of the conference's last two teams standing. Yet, there's so much more that goes into winning a championship than names on a sheet. There's talent. There's luck. There's health. The Knicks aren't promised another trip back to the conference finals, but they're expecting one. Brown comes into a situation that he can only come out of as a superhero if he takes New York to the NBA Finals or beyond. That's it. Anything less will be considered a failure, unfair or not. New York's decision-makers put those expectations on their new head coach. The fans didn't. The media didn't. The pressure is tremendous. The Knicks feel like they got the right person to end a 50-plus year title drought. And maybe they do. We won't know that answer, though, for quite some time. What we do know right now is that of all the coaches available to the Knicks, no one was more familiar with the gravity of the situation than Brown. That's at least a good start.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Seattle Storm to unveil Sue Bird statue outside Climate Pledge Arena
The Seattle Storm says a legendary point guard, Sue Bird, is getting a statue outside of Climate Pledge Arena. The Hall of Famer will be the first player honored with one from the WNBA franchise. The statue will be unveiled on August 17 at 10 a.m. Advertisement Storm franchise leadership, city officials, WNBA legends, and Sue Bird will all be in attendance. 'Sue's legacy isn't just written in championships—it's woven into the fabric of Seattle,' said Seattle Storm President & CEO Alisha Valavanis. 'Her leadership transcended basketball and helped shape a cultural shift—one that expanded who gets to lead, who gets seen and who gets celebrated.' Immediately following the unveiling, fans are invited to enjoy a free community fan fest beginning at 12:00 p.m. The Storm tip off against the Mercury at 3:00 p.m. later that afternoon. Doors to Climate Pledge Arena will open at 1:30 p.m., and the first 7,500 fans attending the game will receive an original drawing of a classic Sue Bird game-action photo created by local Seattle artist Keegan Hall, courtesy of BECU. Advertisement Bird's statue was created by Roblatt Amrany Studio sculptor Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. It's the same studio behind some of the most iconic sports statues, including Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Dave Niehaus' statues at T-Mobile Park, Lenny Wilkens' statue at Climate Pledge Arena, and A'ja Wilson's statue at the University of South Carolina. 'For over two decades, the city of Seattle supported me, both on and off the court. It's because of this community that Seattle will forever hold a special place in my heart. This statue isn't just for me, it's for anyone out there hoping to one day pursue their passions and live out their dreams,' said Sue Bird. 'I'm thankful to the Storm and Seattle for this honor, and can't wait to celebrate with my family, friends and our amazing fans this August.' Bird spent her entire 21-season career with the Storm. She was a part of four WNBA Championships, 13 All-Star selections, and holds the all-time assists record.
Fox News
40 minutes ago
- Fox News
Knicks pick Mike Brown as franchise's next head coach after Tom Thibodeau's shocking dismissal: report
The New York Knicks hadn't advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since 2000 before doing so in May. New York ultimately lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Shortly after New York's playoff exit, the Knicks announced the organization would be moving on from coach Tom Thibodeau. A wide-ranging coaching search ensued, which included multiple interview request denials. On Wednesday, the search reportedly culminated with the selection of Mike Brown. According to ESPN, the Knicks are expected to name Brown as the franchise's next head coach. A contract for Brown has yet to be finalized, but both sides appear to be making progress on a formal agreement. Brown's pending arrival in New York City comes nearly one month after Thibodeau's exit. Brown spent the past three NBA seasons coaching the Sacramento Kings. He also had two stints as the Cleveland Cavaliers' head coach and led the Los Angeles Lakers from 2011-12. He was named the Golden State Warriors' associate head coach in 2016. Brown coached several notable NBA greats, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, the late Kobe Bryant and others in his career. Brown also spent multiple seasons learning under five-time NBA Finals-winning coach Gregg Popovich during the early portion of his career. Brown has led a team to the NBA Finals just one time in his coaching career. Popovich and the Spurs swept Brown and Cavaliers in the 2007 finals. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
