Dale Brown, the coach who found Shaq, dies at 90

Dale Brown died on Friday, October 23, at the age of 90. He was the longtime LSU basketball coach who identified a 13-year-old Shaquille O'Neal while the teenager lived on a military base in West Germany.

The two met in 1984 during a basketball clinic run by Brown. O'Neal, who stood 6 feet, 9 inches at the time, approached Brown for advice. Brown initially mistook the boy for a soldier and asked how long he had served in the Army. When O'Neal revealed his age, Brown recognized the player's potential.

After that first meeting, Brown began sending O'Neal letters and basketball exercises. They maintained this correspondence as O'Neal developed into a top high school prospect. Brown eventually recruited him to play for LSU, where O'Neal competed from 1989 to 1992.

During his college career, O'Neal earned two consensus All-American honors and two SEC Player of the Year awards. He was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. The connection between the coach and player persisted long after O'Neal left Baton Rouge. In a 1999 letter congratulating 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."

Brown remained present in O'Neal's professional life. He attended the celebration for O'Neal's first NBA championship 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. In a 2015 interview with Esquire, O'Neal described Brown as a father figure, leader, and motivator. The pair also starred in the 2015 ESPN documentary "Shaq & Dale," which was directed by Hannah Storm.

LSU announced on October 21 that Brown had been selected as the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. O'Neal recorded a video message to congratulate his former coach on the honor. Brown was scheduled to accept the award in April 2027.

According to LSU, the two stayed in regular contact through letters and emails for decades. Brown's death comes two days after the announcement of the award.