Colleagues of ESPN NBA Analyst Hubie Brown Share Sentiments as Legend Prepares for Final NBA Broadcast on February 9
Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Brown to Call Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game on ABC Alongside Mike Breen
Downloadable photos: ESPN Images
Hubie Brown, one of the most revered and beloved coaches and broadcasters ever in basketball, will call his final NBA game on Sunday, February 9, at 2 p.m. ET on ABC. Brown will join fellow Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Breen on the call with Lisa Salters reporting. The trio, along with the late Stuart Scott, served as the broadcast team for the 2006 NBA Finals on ABC.
Brown joined ESPN in 2004 and has called more than 600 televised games for ESPN and ABC. He has also served as the broadcast analyst for the NBA Finals a record 18 times – four on television and 14 on radio. Brown has spent 50 years associated with the National Basketball Association between coaching and broadcasting. His final game broadcast will emanate from Milwaukee, Wis. where his professional coaching career begin in 1972.
During the game, Brown will be recognized by the Milwaukee Bucks in the arena and via a video tribute. In addition, a special interview with Brown, along with photos, videos, archival footage and special guest testimonials will be shared within the broadcast.
“Nobody breaks down the finer points of basketball better than Hubie Brown. He is the ultimate teacher of the game and an iconic figure to generations of NBA fans. We congratulate Hubie on one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of the league.”
- Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner
“We are grateful for Hubie’s immeasurable contributions to ESPN. The credibility and authority he has brought has lifted our NBA coverage, as he’s educated and entertained fans through his unmistakable style. With six decades in the sport between coaching and broadcasting, perhaps no one has ever been more devoted to the game of basketball than Hubie, and we’re excited to celebrate him as he so richly deserves on February 9.”
- Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN
“Hubie has left an indelible mark on the game of basketball and on everyone fortunate enough to know him and learn from him. Hubie’s endless knowledge and unwavering passion for the NBA shines through on every game he calls. He’s a special broadcaster, coach and human being, and his incredible contributions to our NBA coverage will resonate forever. I can’t wait to listen to Hubie’s final call on February 9, and hopefully hear my favorite phrase of his – the ‘painted area’ – one more time.”
- Burke Magnus, President, Content, ESPN
“No one on earth has educated more people on the game of basketball than Hubie. From all his various coaching jobs, to his coaching clinics around the world, to his decades as a television analyst, Hubie has taught generations of fans everything they need to know about the game he loves so much. Working alongside Hubie has been one of the great blessings of my life.”
- Mike Breen, NBA Play-by-Play Commentator, ESPN
“Hubie Brown is and always will be a treasure to ESPN and our NBA coverage. His wisdom, guidance, friendship and credibility improves every production he touches. There is nothing better in this business than dinner the night before the game with Hubie, where you are guaranteed a complete breakdown of both teams, coaches and players – in addition to hysterical, heart-warming, entertaining stories from Hubie’s past. His preparation to this day speaks to why he was so successful for decades coaching, leading and developing both NBA teams and NBA fans watching on ESPN, ABC, TNT and CBS. Congratulations Hubie! You are a legend, and we are so appreciative of what you have done for the NBA.”
- Tim Corrigan, NBA Senior Vice President, Production, ESPN
“Hubie Brown means everything to basketball – and he’s meant everything to those of us who have had the privilege to call him a colleague and a friend. Being in the presence of basketball greatness can be intimidating, but because of Hubie’s love for the game and his willingness to share it with anyone who wants to learn, working with him has been one of the highlights of my career. Hubie IS hoops. I can’t think of one without the other.”
- Lisa Salters, NBA Reporter, ESPN
“One of the best things about working a game with Hubie Brown was to watch his interactions with players and coaches. The reverence could be heard in the simple, but profoundly heartfelt greeting: ‘Hey Coach.’ You’d be hard pressed to find an individual who has influenced more generations of basketball players and fans than Hubie. Throughout his time at the famed Five Star Basketball Camp, his high school, college and NBA coaching career, and now as a broadcaster, Hubie has been teaching the game of basketball at the highest level for generations.”
- Doris Burke, NBA Analyst, ESPN
“There has never been an analyst who taught you more about the game, any game, than Hubie Brown has every time he’s put on a headset. The very best to do it, his impact will last forever.”
- Mike Greenberg, Host, ESPN
“I have deep admiration and love in my heart for Hubie. When you work with Hubie, you become part of his family. I enjoyed every game I worked with him, and mostly because of the time we would spend together off the air at dinner the night before the game, or on the phone talking basketball and about life. He loved to teach basketball and is phenomenal at teaching the audience. I always learned from him on the air, but he also had many choice words of wisdom about life that I treasure.”
- Dave Pasch, NBA Play-by-Play Commentator, ESPN
“Hubie is one of the very few people on this planet who have participated in and observed every significant era of the NBA. He is a living monument to everything that’s wonderful about the game and how it’s presented and explained. His recollections of players and games are mesmerizing.”
- Mark Jones, NBA Play-by-Play Commentator, ESPN
“Hubie Brown is one of the great treasures of the basketball world and becoming close to him has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. The basketball and life lessons I have learned from Hubie through his inimitable storytelling will stay with me forever. He is a generous colleague, a sensational analyst, a great friend and the most enjoyable dinner partner you’ll ever find. On the broadcast side of things, listening to Hubie diagnose and forecast X’s and O’s in real time on telecasts has been trailblazing for our industry. The verve he has for the game of basketball is always obvious to the viewer. Whether it’s interactions with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Gregg Popovich, the obvious respect Hubie garners from the luminaries of the NBA is striking. We will all feel the impact of Hubie Brown’s teaching forever.”
- Ryan Ruocco, NBA Play-by-Play Commentator, ESPN
"The decade working as Hubie’s partner on NBA broadcasts will always rank as one of the best professional phases of my life. The basketball education, stories and experiences will remain with me forever. While everyone knows he is one of the greatest teachers and ambassadors in the history of the game, thankfully for me he is also one of the best mentors and supporters in my life."
- Mike Tirico, Former ESPN NBA Play-by-Play Commentator
“I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones who has been able to share a meal with Hubie and listen to his incredible stories about his iconic life in and around basketball. Stories he tells with the same verve, enthusiasm and command that I saw him have as a Hall of Fame coach. He is an absolute marvel and I’m so grateful to have been present for even a small part of his basketball journey.”
- Cassidy Hubbarth, NBA Reporter and Host, ESPN
“When Hubie walks into an arena, the respect from players, coaches, basketball executives and fans is palpable. Working a game with Hubie was working alongside history. I’ll miss hearing him on the call, but even more: I’ll miss diners on the road, the conversation and his generosity with his knowledge of the game. Thank you, Hubie.”
- Malika Andrews, NBA Reporter and Host, ESPN
“Hubie is the smartest basketball mind of this and any generation. That knowledge has always been apparent in his coaching and broadcasting the sport he loves. He’s so good at bringing the viewer into the game and explaining things without ever talking down to an audience. He is the best and I am so honored to have Hubie as a friend.”
- Ken Dennis, Former ESPN NBA Director
I lead communications strategy and execution for ESPN’s NBA, MLB, FIBA and Little League World Series properties. I’m also a proud consumer of all things ESPN.
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