Old News: From Larry Brown to Larry Bird
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Larry Brown following a Pacers win in 1997. Photo Al Bello/Getty Images
On this day 28 years ago, Larry Brown left his job as the Indiana Pacers head coach with two years left on his contract.
Why it matters: Brown deciding it was time to move on allowed Larry Bird to move in for a short but sweet coaching run that went as far as the NBA Finals.
Driving the (old) news: By the end of April 1997, Brown was the Pacers' winningest coach in history with a 190-138 record after four seasons.
- He also led a franchise that had never won a playoff series before to the Eastern Conference finals twice.
Yes, but: His last season was one marred by frustration with a team he felt he could no longer lead.
- The Pacers finished 39-43 that year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989.
- "I'm leaving because I think it's time to move on," Brown said in an May 1, 1997 L.A. Times story. "This year was really disappointing. I didn't accomplish what I was hired to do."
Between the lines: In that same story, Pacers president Donnie Walsh said he had preliminary discussions with Bird about the coaching job.
- Bird was named the new coach on May 12, 1997.
- His last game was Game 6 of the 2000 NBA Finals after the Pacers fell to the Shaq and Kobe-powered Lakers.
- It remains the Pacers' only NBA Finals appearance.