Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been fired after a 1-4 start to the season, a source tells ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne.
It is not known yet who will take over for him, but a source indicated that it will either be assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff or Chuck Person on an interim basis.
Sources had said earlier Friday that his job would be in jeopardy if the team did not perform well on its upcoming six-game homestand.
The Lakers have had a healthy Steve Nash in the lineup for only 1½ of their five games so far thanks to a leg injury, while fellow newcomer Dwight Howard has acknowledged that he's still recovering from the back surgery that brought a premature end to his 2011-12 campaign and knocked him out of the London Olympics. Kobe Bryant has also been playing through a foot ailment.
The Lakers are off to the worst start in the Western Conference despite carrying the league's largest payroll at just over $100 million, which would trigger an estimated luxury-tax bill at season's end of nearly $30 million
