Dale Brown, who turned teen Shaq into a star, dies at 90

Dale Brown, a longtime coach at Louisiana State University, died on Friday, Oct. 23, at age 90. His death follows a week in which he received a major national honor and a public tribute from one of the most famous athletes in American history.

Brown’s connection to Shaquille O'Neal began in 1984 at a military base in West Germany. O'Neal was 13 years old and stood 6 feet, 9 inches tall. He approached Brown, who was running a basketball clinic, to ask for advice on his game. Brown initially mistook the teenager for an Army soldier.

After learning O'Neal’s age, Brown began sending him letters and basketball drills. This correspondence continued as O'Neal developed into a top high school prospect. Brown recruited the player to LSU, where O'Neal played from 1989 to 1992. During his time in Baton Rouge, O'Neal earned two consensus All-American honors and two SEC Player of the Year awards.

In 1992, the Los Angeles Lakers selected O'Neal as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. The two maintained their relationship throughout O'Neal’s professional career. In a letter published by LSU Athletics following Brown’s induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, O'Neal wrote, "You are the only college coach I ever had, and the only one I ever wanted."

Brown attended O'Neal’s first NBA championship celebration with the Lakers in 2000. That same year, O'Neal returned to LSU to complete his college degree, fulfilling a promise he had made to Brown and his family when he left school early. In a 2015 interview with Esquire, O'Neal described Brown as a "father figure, leader, and a motivator."

The pair’s story was featured in the 2015 ESPN documentary "Shaq & Dale," directed by Hannah Storm. According to LSU, the two continued to communicate through letters and emails for decades. On Oct. 21, two days before Brown’s death, LSU announced that he was selected as the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. O'Neal recorded a video message congratulating Brown on the selection, which was scheduled for presentation in April 2027.