Hubie Brown: A real basketball lifer

NBA fans are familiar with ESPN color commentator Hubie Brown, who brings a wealth of experience to each broadcast. Many viewers may not realize that Brown is 90 years old, and still appears to be as enthralled with the game of basketball as ever. We’ll take a look at Brown’s long and fulfilling basketball journey that continues to this day. Statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Hubie Brown told The Athletic “I never get up in the morning and say ‘Geez, I’m 90 years old. What am I going to do today?’”

That’s because Brown knows exactly how to attack each day as a professional basketball analyst. “I come downstairs and I get my manila pad out, and I have a list of all the things I’m going to do today. Then at night, I have a list of which games I’m going to watch. Then during the games, I’m going to pick out certain things I’m interested in,” he told The Athletic.

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Brown doesn’t just jot down a couple of things here and there when he watches games. According to The Ringer, he has files on all 30 NBA teams, which include notes from coaching adjustments and statistics to anecdotes dating back many years.

Brown’s professional life requires him to watch NBA players move up and down the court, but he doesn’t sit still in his personal life, either. He has a pool at home, according to Men’s Journal, and tries to swim around three times per week. The broadcaster takes pride in attempting to do more laps than he did the day before.

Hubie Brown’s career in broadcasting dates back to the 1981-1982 NBA season. His first opportunity came as an analyst with the USA Network working games alongside Al Albert, according to The Athletic. Al Albert is the brother of legendary NBA announcer Marv Albert.

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Brown has worked for various networks throughout his broadcasting career. In addition to USA Network, he has also leant his expertise to CBS, Turner and now ESPN basketball telecasts. His voice has become a fixture of basketball discourse for five decades, connecting eras with a wealth of knowledge.

ESPN play by play commentator Mike Breen told Sports Illustrated that Hubie Brown is treated with reverence wherever he goes. “He has become this great ambassador. He celebrates the game while he still teaches the game.”

It perhaps comes as no surprise that Brown was a longtime coach, which allows him to educate viewers in a similar manner that he would teach players. He first opportunity to be a head coach came in the American Basketball Association in 1974-1975, leading the Kentucky Colonels to an ABA title in his first year on the bench. That team featured future Basketball Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore.

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It wouldn’t be long before Brown had a chance to coach in the NBA. Starting in 1976 and ending in 1981, he coached the Hawks to a 199-208 record. It was just after he was fired by Atlanta in 1981 that his time in broadcasting began, although it would be interrupted a few times.

Hubie Brown jumped back into coaching NBA teams in 1982, this time with the New York Knicks. He was the coach when the team drafted Patrick Ewing in 1985. “We have a meeting here in the Garden on Friday morning…after that we go out to Hofstra and Saturday morning, we start,” Brown told Ewing according to the New York Times after draft night.

In a surprising turn of events, the Grizzlies tabbed Brown to be their head coach for the 2002-2003 season after having not coached in the NBA since 1987 when he was let go by the Knicks. In his early seventies, Brown led Memphis to a 50 win season in 2003-2004, and took home Coach of The Year honors that year as well.

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Brown played his college basketball at Niagara University in New York. According to Sports Reference, he suited up for 74 games there, and averaged just over four points per game in the 1950's.

Hubert Jude Brown’s story began on September 25, 1933 in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. His family moved to New Jersey at a young age, according to Sports Illustrated, and he would fall in love with the game of basketball in high school.

Hubie Brown was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 for his contributions to the sport as a coach and a broadcaster. Fellow Hall of Famer coach Chuck Daly told ESPN that Brown “took speeches and clinics to a different level. He took it to Broadway.”

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Brown continues to stay connected to the game he loves, and has coined some popular catch phrases in his day, such as “the painted area.” Let us know what your favorite Hubie saying is or what your favorite memory of him is in the comments section!