Brown was honored as NBA Coach of the Year for leading the Cavaliers to a team-record and league-best 66 wins in 2009.

Brown succeeded Phil Jackson as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 before being dismissed five games into the 2012–13 season.

[5] He moved with his family to military bases where his father was stationed and spent time in the United States, Japan and Germany during his childhood.

[7] After studying and playing basketball for two years at Mesa Community College, Brown attended the University of San Diego, where he played two seasons of college basketball for the San Diego Toreros and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

[citation needed] In 1997, Brown moved to Washington for two seasons, working as an assistant coach under Bernie Bickerstaff.

[10] He also was the head coach for the Spurs' summer league teams in Boston and Salt Lake City.

[10] He helped lead Indiana to consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004.

[19] On April 20, 2009, Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year after guiding the Cavaliers to a league-high[20] and franchise-best 66–16 record.

[22] Brown was fired on May 24, 2010, due to the owner Dan Gilbert wanting to lure LeBron James back to Cleveland.

[25] On May 25, 2011, Brown agreed to succeed Phil Jackson as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

He reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with a team option to renew his contract for a fourth year.

[30] Although immediately considered top title contenders, the Lakers struggled to adjust to the changes in both system and personnel and were winless in eight preseason games.

[33] The Lakers felt an urgency to win given their aging stars, Howard's pending free agency, and owner Jerry Buss's deteriorating health.

[42] On May 9, 2022, he was the Warriors' acting head coach for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies after Kerr tested positive for COVID-19.

[51] On February 5, 2020, Brown was announced as the new head coach of Nigeria's men's national basketball team.