When you think of the term basketball lifer, perhaps no person fits that term better than the great Hubie Brown. The basketball legend turned 91 years old on September 25 and has been around the game for much longer than most fans have been alive. While Brown never played in the NBA, he had a brief stint in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (later known as the Continental Basketball Association) for the Rochester Colonels back in 1958. Brown played collegiately for Niagara in the early 1950s.
Remarkably even as Brown has entered his 90s, he still has been calling NBA games for ESPN and ABC. He still has an insightful mind for basketball and has proven to remain entertaining for the listeners. Unfortunately, his time as an announcer has nearly come to an end.
Legendary Basketball Lifer To Call One Last Game For ESPN
Hubie Brown Will Call One Last Game For ESPN
Brown’s career as a broadcaster began in the mid-1980s. He previously worked for CBS and TNT before moving to ESPN/ABC in the mid-2000s. Over the past few seasons, he has teamed up with Dave Pasch on broadcasts.
It seems as if Brown will have one last hurrah for ESPN before retiring from the sport he has been around for so long. ESPN president Burke Magnus spoke on the podcast SI Media With Jimmy Traina and revealed the network’s plans for Brown.
“We are going to give Hubie one last shot on a game,” Magnus said. “He deserves that. We think the world of him. I think it’s absolutely remarkable the level he still calls games at age 90-plus.”
While the date and actual game that Brown will call has yet to be revealed, it will certainly be must-watch for the fans who have grown to appreciate his basketball acumen.
Brown’s Coaching Career
After spending nearly two decades as a high school head coach or college assistant, Brown’s first foray into coaching in the NBA came in 1972 as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Brown’s first head coaching job in the pros came in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels. In his first season with the Colonels in 1974-75, the team won the championship. Brown spent one more season with the Colonels, but the ABA disbanded after the 1975-76 season.
Brown would then become a head coach in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks. He spent five seasons for them from 1976-77 until 1980-81. In his second season with Atlanta, he was named Coach of the Year. Brown became head coach of the New York Knicks in 1982-83 where he remained until he was let go 16 games into the 1986-87 season.
A decade and a half later, Brown re-entered the head coaching ranks. He was hired by the Memphis Grizzlies. For the second time, Brown was named Coach of the Year in his second season with a team, this time receiving the honors for the 2003-04 season. That season was the first time in franchise history that the Grizzlies reached the postseason.
Brown was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 as a contributor.
Tragedy Has Struck Brown Twice This Year
Hubie Brown has not called a game for ESPN this season as he has experienced a couple personal tragedies this year. His wife of 63 years, Claire F. Brown, passed away on June 7 at the age of 87. His son Brendan Brown passed away on November 3 at just the age of 54 due to health complications.
