Brown elected to Hall

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday.\nThe Hall of Fame announced Brown's election in Los Angeles before the start of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.\nThe 61-year-old Brown has won more than 1,200 games in 30 seasons, including the ABA and college. He won an NCAA title at Kansas in 1988, and led the Sixers to the Finals last season after winning coach of the year honors for the first time in his NBA career.\nBrown, a finalist for the nomination last year, got the required 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee this year.\nBrown completed his fifth season with the Sixers last month, his longest tenure with any team in 19 years in the NBA. He coached five seasons at Kansas from 1983-1988, before leaving for San Antonio.\nA consummate teacher who preaches defense, Brown has posted a winning record in 26 of his 30 seasons. His record in the NBA is 831-651. He was 229-107 in the ABA, and 177-61 in college. The Sixers are 207-171 under Brown, and have been to the playoffs four straight years after a seven-year absence.\nOver the past two seasons, Brown has hinted at retirement several times. But after the Sixers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, Brown said he plans to return next season. He has three years remaining on his contract reportedly worth about $6.25 million per year plus stock options.\nBrown began his coaching career in 1972 with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA, moved to Denver in 1974, and took his first collegiate head coaching job with UCLA in 1979. After two years, Brown moved to New Jersey, led the Nets to a 20-win improvement in his first season and the playoffs in both of his years there.\nHe went to Kansas in 1983, won the national title in his fifth year, then left for San Antonio. Brown spent 3 years with the Spurs, moved to Los Angeles to coach the Clippers for 1 seasons, then coached Indiana four years, before coming to Philadelphia in 1997.