Brian Shaw (basketball)
A steady-handed point guard who orchestrated three Lakers championships, then became a trusted mentor to a generation of NBA stars.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: March 22·Generation X
Biography
Brian Shaw's basketball journey is a masterclass in adaptation and quiet leadership. Emerging from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Oakland native carved out a 14-year NBA career defined by his defensive grit, size for a guard, and unselfish play. His most defining chapter came with the Los Angeles Lakers, where his poised backcourt presence was a crucial component of the team's three-peat championship run from 2000 to 2002, playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. After retiring, Shaw seamlessly transitioned to coaching, first as a trusted assistant with the Lakers, where he contributed to two more titles, and later as a head coach in the NBA's developmental league and with the Denver Nuggets. His reputation is that of a players' coach, someone whose extensive on-court experience lends him a unique credibility in developing talent and managing locker rooms, making him a perennial and respected figure on NBA benches.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Brian was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Brian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three consecutive NBA championships as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002).
- Played 14 seasons in the NBA for eight different franchises, demonstrating notable longevity.
- Served as an assistant coach for the Lakers during their 2009 and 2010 championship seasons.
- Named head coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2013, leading the team to a playoff appearance in his first season.
Did You Know?
He was famously traded on draft day in 1988 from the Boston Celtics to the Miami Heat for a future second-round pick.
Shaw and Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant were involved in a well-documented feud early in Shaw's tenure with the team, which later evolved into a strong mutual respect.
He played his college basketball at UC Santa Barbara, leading the Gauchos to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1988.
“My role was to make the stars shine brighter.”
