If you had tuned into the Sunday night clash (March 9) between the Clips and Kings, you must have witnessed something incredibly odd. The LA Clippers bench might have looked a little different! No, there was nothing wrong with the players (Kawhi Leonard is still healthy). Head Coach Tyronn Lue was not charting up the plays for the side. Instead, it was the assistant coach, Brian Shaw.

The team had announced that Ty Lue suffered from back pain and Shaw took up the clipboard. Guess what happened?

The 57-year-old led the team to a famous OT win over the Kings. Kawhi once again proved that the rims love him, as he rimmed in a buzzer-beater to seal a 111-110 win! And guess what, Shaw became an overnight sensation. It’s also important to note that this isn’t the only time when the assistant coach has left the NBA world jawdropped. Let’s find out more about the Clippers’ surprise package.

Who is Brian Shaw? Where is the LA Clippers assistant coach from?

Brian Shaw is an Oakland native who has built his entire life surrounding basketball. He may have joined the LA Clippers as an assistant coach under Ty Lue in 2021, but his history with the NBA goes back to the late 1980s. Shaw’s first instance of gripping a basketball was in his youth at the East Oakland Youth Development Center. But before that, he had the ball fever always around him.

Speaking of how Shaw picked up interest: “My father watched a lot of sports. He put out a basketball ring in our backyard when I was about five. Soon, all kids in the neighborhood would come over and play in our house,” he said in an interview with Sport Star. 

Soon, Brian Shaw went on to become the best player in his “area“ and gradually spread his wings. Notably, the hoopster grew up alongside future stars like Antonio Davis, Jason Kidd, and Gary Payton! Later, he went on to excel in the game during his high school stint at the Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. This was just a kick-start to his illustrious career.

Did Brian Shaw play in the NBA? Was he a teammate of Kobe Bryant?

Yes, Brian Shaw played in the NBA and he was also Kobe Bryant‘s teammate. However, he rose to fame because of his relationship with Shaquille O’Neal. Those alley-oop passes to the big man had garnered a lot of love from the LA fans. Notably, Big Diesel once referred to Shaw as the teammate he respects the most to this day. However, the journey wasn’t all merry. He started on the wrong foot!

Shaw came into the league in 1988 after the Boston Celtics selected him with the 24th pick. It was smooth rookie season, playing 82 games, averaging 8.6 ppg and 5.8 apg. Truly remarkable feat. However, Shaw’s first setback seeped in after he signed his contract extension. In January 1990, he signed a 5-year contract extension with the Celts.

A few months later, he found himself in a legal battle with the legacy franchise after he expressed his wish to play for Il Messaggero. Of course, he lost the battle and played two more seasons with the Celtics before joining the Heat.

Nine seasons later, after playing for the Magic, 76ers, Warriors, and Blazers, he signed up with the Lakers in 1999. The legendary season where Shaq and Kobe ruled the NBA world. Notably, it was his second team-up with Shaq after the Orlando stint. 

It was the same season when Brian Shaw won his first NBA title. Notably, he came in as a reserve shooter for Kobe Bryant, averaging 4.1 points and 2.7 assists per game. He went on to stay with the Lakers till the end of his career and won two more rings.

When did Brian Shaw become a coach? What teams has he coached?

The seeds for his coaching stint were sown in his Lakers run. “When I got to my last year in the league, a member of the Lakers coaching staff told me that I’d make a good coach. He said all players respected you. He said I had a great relationship with every player — from the superstars like Kobe and Shaq to the 12th man in the squad. He said there was something about me,” Brian Shaw said in a Sport Star interview. Guess what? After his retirement in 2003, he became the Lakers’ assistant coach under Phil Jackson.

After Phil Jackson’s retirement, Shaw was heavily considered as his successor but it ultimately went to Mike Brown. He then headed to the Pacers to assist Frank Vogel and took over the head coach position in the very next season (2012-13). In the same season, he led the promising talent of Pacers team to Eastern Conference Finals where they lost in Game 7 against LeBron James‘ Miami Heat.

Moreover, after two more seasons with the Pacers, Shaw picked up the HC role with the Denver Nuggets. However, it didn’t go as planned, as the 3x NBA Champ ended his two seasons with an underwhelming 56-85 record.

Following disappointing stints, Brian Shaw once again returned to the Lakers as the associate coach in 2016. There, he played an influential role in developing players like Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma.

With all the experience gained over the years, he made the latest pit stop at the LA Clippers, joining Ty Lue as an assistant coach. What an illustrious journey! What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.