Golden State Warriors associate head coach and former NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown has agreed to be the next head coach of the Nigerian men’s basketball team, D’Tigers.
Mike Brown has agreed to become the head coach of the Nigerian men’s basketball team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As Nigeria will be appearing in the Olympics for the third consecutive time, the Nigeria Basketball president Musa Kida had been seeking a coach with an NBA background. Brown spent eight years as head coach for the Cavaliers and Lakers before getting hired to Steve Kerr’s staff in 2016.
While reacting to his new role, the Los Angeles Lakers former coach said “I’m honoured and humbled that Musa Kida and the Nigerian Basketball Federation have given me this opportunity,” “The Nigerian Basketball Federation has been very professional and organized throughout the vetting process. They want to continue to build a world-class team and organization on and off the court.”
“I’m excited to have learned that the Federation’s vision is to provide the team with the necessary resources to compete at the highest level. Their commitment will enable the players and coaches to focus our energy on competing at the highest possible level every time we step on the basketball court. We want to make all of Nigeria proud.”
Brown and the LeBron James-led Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals in 2007, where they were swept by the Spurs. Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2009 after coaching the Cavaliers to a 66-16 record. He was fired in Cleveland after the 2010 season ahead of James’ free agency. He coached just over one lockout-shortened season from 2011-2012 for the Lakers.
Nigeria competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where they finished group play with a 1-4 record. Their victory against Tunisia was their first-ever Olympic win.
In 2012, Nigeria became the only African nation to ever qualify for the Summer Olympics through the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In 2015, Nigeria won its first basketball championship of Africa. Since the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Nigeria has been ranked 16th in the FIBA world rankings.
