Mike Brown nearly missed a call that changed his life.
It was the spring of 2000 and Brown had just served his first two seasons as an NBA assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. The organization fired its head coach midway through a disappointing 29-53 campaign, moving on from Gar Heard to interim coach Darrell Walker, a former Chicago Bulls guard, in Michael Jordan’s first substantial move as team owner.
Jordan — yes, that Michael Jordan — indicated to Brown he made enough of an impression to earn a position in the front office the following season. Brown, who became close with Jordan after he took over as Wizards’ owner, initially agreed, which meant a trip to the annual pre-draft scouting combine in Chicago as part of his executive responsibilities.
