BROWN OUT: Larry Brown announced yesterday that he is stepping down as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers after six seasons at the helm. Brown, somewhat surprisingly considering his reputation as a vagabond, outlasted by several years the other two big-name coaches hired the same week- the Celtics' Rick Pitino and the Pacers' Larry Bird.
Brown was best known in Philly, of course, for his often tempestuous relationship with superstar guard Allen Iverson; the highlight of Brown's time in Philly, for me at least, was the April 21, 2001 cover story by Gary Smith in Sports Illustrated about Iverson and Brown, two short-statured sons of single mothers who both found success in an unlikely place, the NBA. The story is best known for the revelation by Iverson's mother, Ann, that Allen was conceived without the benefit of intercourse.