Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia 76ers introduced Brett Brown their new head coach on Wednesday.
Brown had been long rumored to be Philadelphia's choice, as speculation began on draft night that the San Antonio Spurs assistant was in line to replace Doug Collins.
"We are proud to announce that Brett Brown will be the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers," said Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie.
"We went through an exhaustive search to find the right head coach for our organization; one who had a passion for developing talent, a strong work-ethic to help create the kind of culture we hope for, and a desire to continually improve. Brett has all of that. He also has a wealth of experience as a head coach and a championship pedigree, to boot. We are delighted to welcome him as our coach, and I am invigorated for the two of us to roll up our sleeves and get to work."
Collins stepped down in April after three seasons with the Sixers despite having one year remaining on his contract. He was expected to remain with the organization in an advisory role.
The Sixers were 34-48 last season and have rebuilt the roster, starting with a trade on draft night that sent All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday to New Orleans in exchange for the sixth overall pick, 7-foot center Nerlens Noel, and a 2014 first-round draft choice.
"We all know the pain of rebuilding is real. It isn't something that happens quickly. there needs to be a patience and there needs to be a tolerance," said Brown. "We need a staff and a mentality that is heavily, heavily focused on development."
Brown will step in after spending the past seven seasons under Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. He becomes the second Spurs assistant to land a head coaching job this offseason, as Mike Budenholzer was hired in late May to fill the coaching vacancy with the Atlanta Hawks.
"If I was going to leave a situation like San Antonio, it better be for the right one... It's a privilege to be here," said Brown.
The Portland, Maine native will be the franchise's 24th head coach.