Sam Presti once made mix CDs for Mike Brown

February 24, 2012 at 1:10 p.m.

For years, the primary wooing device of young, socially awkward music fans has been the mix CD. Putting a bunch of great, romantic songs together in the perfect order, complete with handwritten notes and maybe even a cool drawing, is the perfect way to get a young lady to like you, at least if you have trouble with more traditional methods like being charming or figuring out how to talk to a girl like a normal person. Trust me, I know from experience.

So it is a little hilarious to hear that one notable NBA front office employee once made a habit of making mix CDs for a well-known NBA coach. But, alas, that's exactly what Sam Presti did for Mike Brown when both were employed by the San Antonio Spurs. From Dave McMenamin for ESPNLosAngeles.com:

Back in the early aughts when they were both working for the San Antonio Spurs, they weren't quite as established. Brown was an assistant coach. Presti was an intern right out of college.
Before Presti was charged with putting together players who worked together on a roster for OKC, one of his responsibilities when he was with the Spurs was to put songs that would work together as mix CDs for Brown.
"He used to be into music. I don't know if he is now, but he used to make me music CDs," Brown said before the Lakers' game against the Thunder on Thursday. "I listen to all types of music. I like the jazz, smooth, mellow type. He turned me on to that a little bit. He's a good guy."

So, yeah, Sam Presti put together some great jazz tracks for Mike Brown. When you put it that way, it's not so weird, especially when you remember that Presti was an intern trying to ingratiate himself to more established basketball people like Brown. It's also just a friendly thing to do for someone who shares your musical taste.

Still, one has to wonder what various members of the NBA world would put on mixtapes for their colleagues. Based on their Twitter feeds, most players probably want the newest releases from artists such as Drake, The Weeknd and Rick Ross so they can pick out their favorite tracks themselves. But some guys have more idiosyncratic taste. Tom Thibodeau, for instance, loves John Cage's "4'33" — anything else just distracts him from basketball.