When it comes to basketball lifers, nobody exemplifies the term more than Hubie Brown. The 91-year-old has been around the game since the 1950s, whether it’s playing the sport, coaching at different levels, or as an announcer. Very few have spent even a fraction of the time around the game that Brown has.
About a month ago, it was announced by ESPN that the legendary Hubie Brown would be calling one last game before retiring. That game has now been revealed by the network, and it will occur in a little less than two months from now.
Date For Hubie Brown’s Last Game As Broadcaster Revealed
Hubie Brown Last Game Will Be On February 9
This week, ESPN announced that Hubie Brown’s final game as a broadcaster will take place on February 9. He will call a matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks with Mike Breen joining him on the broadcast. Even if Philadelphia doesn’t right the ship by then as they are off to a disappointing start, it will be a must-watch event due to Brown making his final appearance calling a game. Even at his advanced age, his basketball acumen is unparalleled.
Brown began calling games in the mid-1980s. He has been with the ESPN and ABC networks since the mid-2000s.
Coaching Career Includes A Championship
For nearly two decades, Brown spent coaching at the high school level or as a college assistant. Brown’s first time coaching at the NBA level was with the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant in 1972.
Brown would join the ABA in 1974 as he became the head coach of the Kentucky Colonels. It took all of one year for him to be a champion as the Colonels won the ABA title in the 1974-75 season. That team featured three Basketball Hall of Famers in Artis Gilmore, Louie Dampier, and Dan Issel. Brown only got to coach one more year for them as the ABA disbanded after the 1975-76 season.
From 1976-77 until 1980-81, Brown was the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. In 1977-78, he was named Coach of the Year. Brown was also the head coach of the New York Knicks starting in 1982-83. He was let go 16 games into the 1986-87 season.
It was a long time before Brown once again became a head coach in the NBA. This time, it was with the Memphis Grizzlies. He joined them in the 2002-03 season, and he was named Coach of the Year for the second time the following year. That year was also the first time that the Grizzlies qualified for the postseason in franchise history.
It All Started In the 1950s For Brown
Before his coaching career and before he became known as a broadcaster, Brown played the sport he loved. No, it was never in the NBA, but he did play professionally. He had a short stay in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (later known as the Continental Basketball Association) for the Rochester Colonels in 1958. Prior to that, Brown played collegiately at Niagara.
Brown received the ultimate honor when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 as a contributor.
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