Mike Brown sends heartfelt message on Rick Adelman’s passing

The New York Knicks are preparing to take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, but there was something head coach Mike Brown had to say before officially taking questions and preparing for Game 1.

The basketball world lost long-time head coach Rick Adelman on June 1, 2026 at the age of 79.

Adelman coached 23 seasons in the NBA and 1,791 career games. He finished with a 1,042-749 record, reaching the NBA Finals twice with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990 and 1992.

Mike Brown took time to share his condolences after the loss of coach Adelman ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

“I’d like to start off real quick by passing along my condolences to Coach Adelman’s family,” Brown said. “We lost a great person in Coach Adelman. Obviously, I knew Rick. I wasn’t really close to him, but from afar. You talk about a fantastic human being. His record and his accomplishments speak for themselves. I’d like to pass along my condolences to all of his family, Dave and anybody else that knew him and is associated with him. We lost a great person in Coach Adelman.”