CLIPPERS : Larry Brown Offers Version of His Parting With the Team

Larry Brown, who resigned last May after coaching the Clippers to two consecutive playoff appearances, returned to Los Angeles with his new team, the Indiana Pacers, for an exhibition game against the Clippers Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

Brown, who was booed before the game, saw Danny Manning score 19 points and grab six rebounds as the Clippers handed the Pacers a 106-97 loss before an announced crowd of 6,339. Clipper rookie guard Terry Dehere scored a game-high 20 points.

The Clippers maintain that the resignation of Brown, who reportedly had two years remaining on a contract that paid him $750,000 per year, caught them by surprise because he resigned while on vacation in May. Brown said he resigned three months earlier.

“I resigned in February effective at the end of the year, and they accepted my resignation and then Mr. (Clipper Owner Donald T.) Sterling offered me a lifetime contract and he didn’t come through with that,” Brown said. “Then he said he’d like to sign me for one year and I agreed to that as well as the lifetime contract and he didn’t come through with that.

“The thing that amazes me is people can say what they want, but I know it’s true and they know it’s true. When they say I quit, that wasn’t the case. The team knew I wanted to stay forever.”

Said Clipper spokesman Joe Safety: “The place for revisionist history is in the classroom.”

Added Brown: “I don’t care what they say. I know the truth and they’ve got to level. All you have to do is call Harley Frankel and Andy Roeser and put them right in front of me.”