The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t the only team with coaching vacancies to express an interest in hiring Mike Brown, but they’re the team that landed him, for multiple reasons. In a radio interview with Petros and Money, the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year said the Lakers job “crossed my mind” throughout last season, when he knew Phil Jackson would retire." He referred to Los Angeles as “a storied program,” which adds to the Lakers’ appeal.
Indeed, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets both discussed their openings with Brown, who says “I was down the road a little ways with Golden State” before the Lakers stepped in. “They moved rather quickly to get an agreement between myself and them,” which is why the Warriors find themselves without a head coach after firing Keith Smart, while the Lakers are set for the next three seasons, and perhaps four, should they exercise their final-year option on Brown’s contract.