CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Larry Brown says the only coaching job he wants is the one he has.
"I'm not coaching anywhere but Charlotte," Brown told the Charlotte Observer on Tuesday. "I'm not coaching for anyone but for (Bobcats owner) Michael Jordan."
Brown was reacting to speculation, most recently in Tuesday's New York Post, that he might leave the Bobcats to coach elsewhere. Two teams he previously coached — the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers — come up most often, since both are expected to be looking for a coach this offseason.
He sounded exasperated Tuesday by Post NBA columnist Peter Vecsey writing that Brown has already received permission from Jordan to leave after this season.
Brown called that a regurgitation of Jordan's statements weeks ago that he wouldn't stop Brown from leaving for family reasons. Brown's wife and two teenage children still live in Philadelphia, going back to when Brown was the 76ers president and coach.
"They're just bringing up old stuff that I could leave with Michael's blessing if I wanted to," Brown said.
His statement wouldn't technically keep him from moving to another team in a front-office position, but he made it clear that he's happy with the Bobcats and loyal to Jordan.
Jordan hired Brown nearly two years ago, after two years away from coaching. He was fired by the New York Knicks after going 23-59 in his only season coaching in the city where he grew up.
"He gave me this chance after that debacle in New York," Brown said of Jordan.
Brown is completing the second of a four-year contract. The Bobcats recently qualified for their first playoff appearance and will start a seven-game series against the Orlando Magic this weekend.
Brown is known to change jobs a lot; this is the ninth NBA team he's coached since 1976, plus stints in that span with UCLA and Kansas (where he won the NCAA championship in 1988).
The Clippers are finishing the season with an interim coach, Kim Hughes. The 76ers are reportedly ready to fire coach Eddie Jordan as soon as Thursday.
"I've had a lot of fun," Brown said of coaching the Bobcats. "I like it here."