LSU basketball coach Dale Brown dies

Dale Brown, a longtime basketball coach at Louisiana State University, died on Friday, Oct. 23, at the age of 90. Brown is best known for identifying the talent of Shaquille O'Neal when the future NBA star was a teenager stationed in West Germany.

The initial connection between the two occurred in 1984 at a military base in West Germany. Brown was conducting a basketball clinic when O'Neal, then 13 years old and already 6 feet 9 inches tall, approached him for guidance. Brown initially assumed the young man was a soldier and asked about his service time before realizing he was a teenager. Recognizing the potential in the athlete, Brown began mailing exercises and letters to O'Neal, maintaining communication until O'Neal became a top high school prospect in the United States.

Brown recruited O'Neal to LSU, where O'Neal played from 1989 to 1992. During his time at the university, O'Neal earned two-time consensus All-American honors and was named SEC Player of the Year twice. He was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. In a 1999 letter published by LSU Athletics to congratulate Brown on his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, O'Neal wrote, "You are the only college coach I ever had, and the only one I ever wanted."

The relationship extended beyond the college years. Brown attended O'Neal's first NBA championship celebration with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. That same year, O'Neal returned to LSU to complete his degree, fulfilling a promise made to his family and Brown when he left the school in 1992. In a 2015 Esquire interview, O'Neal described Brown as a father figure, leader, and motivator. ESPN released a documentary titled Shaq & Dale in 2015, directed by Hannah Storm and narrated by Tim McGraw, which chronicled their history.

LSU announced on Oct. 21 that Brown had been selected as the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The selection came two days before Brown's death. O'Neal recorded a video message to congratulate Brown on the honor. Brown was scheduled to receive the award in April 2027.