Larry Brown’s new salary
See what Memphis’ assistant coach will be paid.
Larry Brown, once the highest paid coach in NBA history, will make a base salary of $300,000 this season as an assistant coach at Memphis, according to the Hall of Famer’s employment contract obtained by The Commercial Appeal via open records request.
Brown, 80, the only coach in history to win both an NCAA championship and an NBA title, agreed to a one-year deal that is set to expire on April 30, 2022. The contract, signed on July 7, is renewable up to a maximum of five years as long as Brown and the university agree to it in writing. In the event an extension is not formally executed by the time the terms of the initial deal expire, Brown’s contract will automatically renew on a month-tomonth basis until either he or the school provides written notice of its termination.
The lone financial incentive in Brown’s contract stipulates he will be paid $2,500 for each NCAA Tournament game the Tigers win during the 2021-22 season. That works out to a maximum of $17,500 should Memphis win the championship.
In 2005, Brown signed a five-year contract worth $50 million to be the coach of the New York Knicks. At the time it was the richest deal in NBA history. He was fired after one season and later agreed to an $18.5 million settlement.
Brown’s five-year, $3.5 million deal with the Spurs in 1988 also made him the highest-paid coach in NBA history at the time.
Brown, whose most recent basketball job in the United States as coach at SMU from 2012-16 earned more than $2.7 million annually. He has also been the coach at UCLA and Kansas. NCAA investigations into all three programs during Brown’s tenure found violations that led to severe sanctions, including the Bruins vacating their 1980 Final Four appearance.
If Brown is terminated without cause — a decision that can only be made by the university’s president — he will be entitled to two months’ salary or the amount remaining on his contract, which ever is shorter. If Level I or Level II violations are found to have occurred during Brown’s tenure and it’s determined he is responsible or knew of them, “all monetary amounts due ... shall immediately cease, and coach shall reimburse the University for any amounts paid to Coach following the effective date of termination.”
Should Brown resign before the end of the season, he will be required to provide the university the full amount of his $300,000 base salary in “liquidated damages.” If he quits after the season or chooses to leave for medical reasons, he will not be obligated to provide any amount of liquidated damages.