Knicks' Mike Brown Reveals Lesson From Legendary Coach Gregg Popovich

Mike Brown secured his first championship title as an NBA head coach, leading the New York Knicks to victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

However, Brown has four other championship rings as an assistant coach. His first came as an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s San Antonio staff in 2003, followed by three more titles as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors.

Brown has consistently credited Popovich for his support and guidance. And during a recent appearance on the “Roommates Show” podcast - hosted by Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart - he revealed a poignant lesson he learned from the all-time great NBA coach.

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“It’s kind of ironic. I learned this during my time in San Antonio,” Brown said. “[I’ll] never forget, at the end of my first year we were meeting as a staff, and Pop says ‘I’ve got to thank Tim Duncan.’

“He used to call me Mikey. He said ‘Mikey, if your best player doesn’t allow you to coach him, you have no shot at coaching anybody else on the team. And Tim allows me to do it.'”

Brown then gave credit to Brunson, thanking him for his coachability throughout the Knicks’ NBA Finals run.

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Brunson led the Knicks to the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973, averaging 32.6 points per game in the championship series. He closed out the series with a 45-point performance in Game 5, earning Finals MVP honors.

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 6:35 PM.