Brown welcomed by Bryant through a text

Mike Brown was fired a year ago for winning just about everything but a championship while coaching LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But that is just a fraction of the pressure he will face in his new job in Hollywood.

The Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement in principle with Brown to succeed the 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson as coach, the team said. Brown will get a four-year deal worth around US$18 million (Dh66.1m).

Brown certainly does not shy away from a coaching challenge. The Cavaliers enjoyed five consecutive trips to the play-offs during Brown's tenure. Now he moves to a storied franchise with a veteran star who collects titles in bunches. And he is replacing Jackson, the coach with more championship rings than anyone in NBA history.

During a television interview at half time of the Dallas-Oklahoma City game, Brown said he had exchanged text messages with Kobe Bryant, the Lakers' top player, who had endorsed Jackson's assistant Brian Shaw for the job.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know Kobe, and being able to work with him to go and get us a championship," Brown said.