Scott William Brooks (born July 31, 1965) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
coach and former player who is the top assistant coach for the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA). As a player, he won an
NBA championship
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
with the
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...
in 1994.
Brooks played
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game.
A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...
at
San Joaquin Delta College and
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...
before playing his last two years at the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...
. He was inducted into UCI's Hall of Fame in 2001.
Early life and college
Born in
French Camp, California
French Camp (from ''Campo de los Franceses'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Field of the Frenchmen") is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 3,770 as ...
on July 31, 1965, Brooks graduated from
East Union High School at
Manteca, California
Manteca is a city in San Joaquin County, California. The city had a population of 83,498 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. It is part of the Stockton-Lodi, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Manteca is a city in the Ce ...
in 1983. As a freshman, he played college basketball at
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...
for a season and then transferred for his sophomore year to
San Joaquin Delta College in
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...
, about 10 miles from his parents' home in
Lathrop, California
Lathrop (, ) is a city located south of Stockton in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The 2020 census reported that Lathrop's population was 28,701. The city is located in Northern California at the intersection of Interstate 5 ...
. One highlight of his year at TCU was being assigned the task of "fronting" Hakeem Olajuwon. After only being offered a walk-on spot by nearby
University of the Pacific, he declined that offer and spent the next two years at the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...
. In his senior season at UCI, he averaged 23.8 points and made 43.2% of his three-point attempts.
On the night that the Bren Events Center opened at UC Irvine on January 8, 1987, Brooks scored 43 points as UCI defeated
Utah State, 118–96. He scored 41 points in a 90–79 win at
University of the Pacific later that season to tie the Spanos Center scoring record. Brooks was inducted to the UC Irvine Hall of Fame in 2001 and had his jersey No. 12 retired on November 30, 2019.
Professional career
Playing and early coaching career
After not being drafted in the
1987 NBA draft
The 1987 NBA draft was held on June 22, 1987, in New York City.
This draft included two future members of the NBA 50 Greatest Players list, David Robinson and Scottie Pippen, as well as fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was named to t ...
, Brooks debuted professionally with the
Albany Patroons
The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...
of the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...
under coach
Bill Musselman. Brooks was named to the CBA's all-rookie team in 1988 and was a member of Albany's CBA Championship team that same season. Later, he played for the
Fresno Flames of the
World Basketball League.
Brooks played 10 seasons (1988–1998) in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, appearing as a member of the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
,
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
,
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...
,
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...
,
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
and
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
, and was a member of Houston's 1994 NBA Championship team. In 1995, he was traded to the Mavericks for
Morlon Wiley and a second-round pick in the only trade deadline deal of the season. Brooks signed with the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
before the 1998–99 season but sat out due to a right knee injury. The Clippers waived Brooks on February 19, 1999,
re-signed him, then released Brooks in October 1999, during the 1999–2000 preseason.
Coaching career
Brooks joined the
Los Angeles Stars
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...
of the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...
(ABA) in 2000–01, where he was both a player and an assistant coach.
Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (2007–2015)
After serving as an assistant coach with the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
and
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
, Brooks was named an assistant to
P. J. Carlesimo
Peter John Carlesimo (born May 30, 1949) is an American former basketball coach who coached in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college basketball for nearly 40 years. He is also a television broadcaster and has worked with ESP ...
with the
Seattle SuperSonics before the 2007–08 season, and followed the team to Oklahoma City as the Thunder after that season. When Carlesimo was fired on November 22, 2008; Brooks was named interim coach for the rest of the season. On April 22, 2009, the Thunder named him the 15th head coach in the Sonics/Thunder history.
Brooks got off to one of the best starts for a rookie head coach in recent NBA history. He led the Thunder to the playoffs in his first five full seasons with the team. He was named the 2009–10
NBA Coach of the Year
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who l ...
after leading the Thunder to a 50-win season and the 8th seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs, a 28-win increase over the previous season. On February 11, 2012, Brooks was named the Western Conference All-Star Coach for the
2012 NBA All-Star Game in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
. In the shortened 66-game 2011–12 season, he led the Thunder to the
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
, where they eventually lost to the 2012 NBA Champions, the Miami Heat. In the 2012 offseason, the Thunder signed Brooks to a multi-year head coaching contract reportedly worth about $18 million.
On January 29, 2014, Brooks was named the Western Conference All-Star Coach for the
2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.
On April 22, 2015, Brooks was fired by the Thunder a week after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in his six full seasons as head coach. He left as the coach with the third-most wins in the Sonics/Thunder history, behind only
Lenny Wilkens
Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, fi ...
and
George Karl
George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach ...
.
It was reported by
Adrian Wojnarowski in May that Brooks did not wish to interview for other coaching opportunities for the 2015–16 season, instead desiring to take a break and reconnect with family living in California.
Washington Wizards (2016–2021)
On April 26, 2016, Brooks was hired by the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
, becoming the 24th head coach in franchise history.
He altered the team's culture in the off-season and met with several players. In their first season with Brooks at the helm, the Wizards made it to the NBA playoffs, beating the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, before losing in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the second round. While they also made the playoffs the next year, Washington lost in six games in the first round to the Toronto Raptors, and then missed the playoffs entirely the next two seasons. In Brooks's fifth year as head coach, the team made it to the playoffs as a play-in team, but suffered a first round exit to the Philadelphia 76ers.
On June 16, 2021, the Wizards and Brooks parted ways after his contract expired.
Portland Trail Blazers (2021–2024)
On August 2, 2021, Brooks was hired by the
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...
as the assistant coach to
Chauncey Billups.
Los Angeles Lakers (2024–present)
On August 5, 2024, Brooks joined the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
coaching staff as an assistant coach for head coach
JJ Redick.
Head coaching record
, -
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Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 69, , 22, , 47, , , , align="center" , 5th in
Northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
, , —, , —, , —, , —
, align="center" , Missed Playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 50, , 32, , , , align="center" , 4th in Northwest, , 6, , 2, , 4, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
First round
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
, -
, align="left" ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 55, , 27, , , , align="center" , 1st in Northwest, , 17, , 9, , 8, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
Conference finals
, -
, align="left" ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 66, , 47, , 19, , , , align="center" , 1st in Northwest, , 20, , 13, , 7, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
, -
, align="left" ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 60, , 22, , , , , align="center" , 1st in Northwest, , 11, , 5, , 6, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
Conference semifinals
, -
, align="left" ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 59, , 23, , , , , align="center" , 1st in Northwest, , 19, , 10, , 9, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
Conference finals
, -
, align="left" ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 45, , 37, , , , align="center" , 2nd in Northwest, , —, , —, , —, , —
, align="center" , Missed playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
Washington
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 49, , 33, , , , , align="center" , 1st in
Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
, , 13, , 7, , 6, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
Conference semifinals
, -
, align="left" ,
Washington
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 43, , 39, , , , , align="center" , 2nd in Southeast, , 6, , 2, , 4, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
First round
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
, -
, align="left" ,
Washington
, align="left" ,
, 82, , 32, , 50, , , , , align="center" , 4th in Southeast, , —, , —, , —, , —
, align="center" , Missed playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
Washington
, align="left" ,
, 72, , 25, , 47, , , , , align="center" , 3rd in Southeast, , —, , —, , —, , —
, align="center" , Missed playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
Washington
, align="left" ,
, 72, , 34, , 38, , , , , align="center" , 3rd in Southeast, , 5, , 1, , 4, ,
, align="center" , Lost in
First round
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
, -class="sortbottom"
, align="center" colspan="2", Career
, 935, , 521, , 414, , , , , , 97, , 49, , 48, , , ,
Notes
External links
* at NBA.com
Scott Brooks coach biographyat NBA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Scott
1965 births
Living people
Albany Patroons players
American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from California
Basketball players from California
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Dallas Mavericks players
Denver Nuggets assistant coaches
Houston Rockets players
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Minnesota Timberwolves players
New York Knicks players
Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coaches
Oklahoma City Thunder head coaches
People from French Camp, California
Philadelphia 76ers players
Point guards
Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches
Sacramento Kings assistant coaches
San Joaquin Delta College alumni
Seattle SuperSonics assistant coaches
Sportspeople from San Joaquin County, California
TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball players
UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball players
Undrafted NBA players
Washington Wizards head coaches
20th-century American sportsmen