Former Nigeria national basketball team D’Tigers coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown has been officially named as NBA coach of the year for the 2022-2023 season.
Brown, who led D’Tigers to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, led the Kings to a 48-34 record to finish third in the NBA’s Western Conference. It is his second time winning the award after previously winning the honor with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009.
He is the first unanimous recipient of the award in NBA history.
“These honours don’t come around often so you’re very appreciative of them,” Brown said on the TNT broadcast of the announcement. “I’m really appreciative of being in Sacramento. The fans, the city has been fantastic.”
Brown’s victory was the third major event for the Kings in three days. On Monday, they beat Golden State for a 2-0 series lead in their Western Conference first-round matchup. On Tuesday, Fox was announced as the inaugural winner of the NBA’s clutch player of the year award. Wednesday brought the coaching award.
Brown was there last year with Golden State as an assistant coach, winning his fourth NBA title, all as an assistant — the first under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, the other three under Steve Kerr with the Warriors.
Brown becomes the 11th person to win the NBA’s coach award more than once, joining three-time recipients Pat Riley, Popovich and Don Nelson, along with fellow two-time winners Gene Shue, Bill Fitch, Hubie Brown, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Mike D’Antoni, Tom Thibodeau and Mike Budenholzer.