The Philadelphia 76ers on Monday hired San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown.
Brown agreed to become the head coach for the Sixers, according to two USA Today Sports sources. The deal hasn't been officially announced.
Philadelphia made a decision for its coaching vacancy with the start of training camp looming around the corner. Brown coached the Australian national team to a seventh-place finish at the 2012 London Olympics.
He's best known for his tenure with the Spurs, where he's worked in various jobs since 2002. He's been an assistant under coach Gregg Popovich the 2006-07 season.
Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, in his first season with the team, has stated the coaching search would be a slow process. The team also considered Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, Chicago Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, Atlanta Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson and Portland Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool.
Former coach Doug Collins resigned from the position in April after a 34-48 season. He's expected to remain with the team as an advisor.
Brown inherits a team in rebuilding mode. The new coach could also be without the team's first-round draft pick for the entire season. Hinkie hasn't ruled out the possibility of Nerlens Noel missing his entire rookie season as the center continues to rehab from ACL surgery.
"Nothing else matters as much as that matters," Hinkie told USA Today Sports in July, referring to Noel getting healthy. "So as this plays out, we will give him all the resources necessary and all the best medical people we can put in front of him, both here and in Birmingham, [Ala], where he's been doing his rehab, to try to get him back on the floor, to be the best player he can be for himself and for the Sixers."
