Report: Philadelphia 76ers to extend head coach Brett Brown

Following a meteoric rise up the standings, the Philadelphia 76ers will reportedly extend the contract of head coach Brett Brown.

It’s only fitting that Brett Brown is on board as the Philadelphia 76ers begin to take off.

Following a season that culminated in a terrific second round playoff series with the Boston Celtics, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that the Sixers are due to extend the contract of their head coach by another three years.

This result is the cumulation of years of perseverance for Brown, who took over the helm of the Sixers prior to the 2013-14 season. Over his first four seasons in charge, the Sixers compiled a 75-253 record, as the franchise went about stripping back the roster in order to accumulate as many high-end lottery selections as possible.

The end result this season saw the Sixers finish in third place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 52-30 record. Following an impressive first round series win over the Miami Heat, the Sixers were unable to get over the line against the Celtics in a hard-fought series, despite being eliminated in five games.

Among the highlights this season were the selection of 2014 No. 3 overall selection Joel Embiid to the All-Star game, while — after missing his debut season — 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons became the raging favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors.

Recently, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, Bryan Colangelo, hinted that an extension for Brown was certainly on the horizon:

Before joining the Sixers, Brown spent over a decade on the bench alongside Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. Considering the success of the Spurs over the past couple of decades, transitioning to such a challenging environment in Philadelphia was always going to be a difficult adjustment.

However, the manner in which he conducted himself through these hard times was exceptional, and is a huge reason as to why this much-deserved extension has been awarded to the 57-year-old Brown. Importantly, the combination of his coaching and his interpersonal relationships the players didn’t go unnoticed, as J.J. Redick detailed upon signing with the Sixers:

"“I told Brett Brown this when we met on July 1st….the Sixers haven’t been very good, and there’s something about his disposition, the way he’s coached this basketball team the way he’s embraced ‘The Process.’ The spirit of the Sixers has never been broken, and I think that speaks volumes to coach Brown. To be honest, he was probably the biggest factor in this decision. He’s someone that I’ve watched and wanted to play for, and I’m thrilled to be playing for next year.”"

With sentiments such as these, it comes as little surprise that Redick produced a career year in his 12th season in the league. Furthermore, Redick’s sentiments on the eve of the Sixers’ recent playoff run further validate the Sixers’ extension of Brown:

With the free agency period quickly approaching in which the Sixers have an abundance of salary cap space available, securing the services of Brown for the long-term is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

It’s not often the coach of a rebuild gets to see it through once things start turning around. Kudos to Brett Brown for being the exception.