Hubie Brown's Milwaukee connection
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Hubie Brown joined the Milwaukee Bucks before the 1972 season when his old college teammate Bucks head coach at the time, Larry Costello, convinced him to leave his job at Duke to come to the professional level.
He made a good impression on the group.
"Immediately liked Hubie. And you realized his basketball IQ was very high," said Former Bucks Guard Jon McGlocklin. "We all respected his knowledge. When we got into the games, he was great at halftime because Hubie is a technician."
Brown spent two seasons with the Bucks from 1972-74, helping the team return to the NBA Finals. Speaking on his final broadcast on ESPN, Brown cherished his time in Milwaukee and the full circle moment of it all.
"For me to end it here is very meaningful because I learned so much here," said Brown on ESPN. "I got my doctorate degree as well as a master's degree (in basketball)."
Milwaukee was just the first step in a professional basketball career spanning five decades. Brown went on to win an ABA championship with the Kentucky Colonels. His next stop was with the Atlanta Hawks for five seasons, winning coach of the year in 1977-78. He next went to the New York Knicks for five seasons. His final coaching stop was in Memphis for three seasons winning coach of the year again in 2003-04.
But he spent 35 seasons in the broadcast booth. Calling games until he was 91.
"It didn't surprise me with Hubie," said McGlocklin on Brown's decision to stay close to the game. "With his dedication. His drive, the guy he is. His preparation. I mean his preparation is off the charts."
"Television plays to the color analyst. It's his venue because you can tell stories, you can break it down and that's what you should be doing and I think Hubie's balance is perfect," added McGlocklin.
Brown was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He then joined the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2022 and in 2024, the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. A career with plenty of accolades, and it all started in Milwaukee.
"I think everything fell in place right and it was perfect. And it was a perfect match," said McGlocklin. "Him as a coach. He spent a brief time as an assistant that got him in the door and then able to be a head coach and then a color analyst."
For his final broadcast, a few Bucks coaches wore "Thank You Hubie" shirts and several members of the team including Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez, and Doc Rivers made sure to pay their respects.
"He's been so important to this league in so many ways," said Rivers. "There's not a situation that has happened that Hubie hasn't gone through in his life in the NBA."
"I think it's pretty cool that he started in Milwaukee, and he chose to finish in Milwaukee," said Lillard. "I think it's a special commitment to the game. From that time to today I'm sure he's seen so much growth and so much change not only in the game of basketball but in the league. It's come so far in a lot of ways."
"That type of lifelong investment and care into this league is special. For us to be a part of this league I think it's very important for us to pay our respects and to honor and acknowledge the people who've done that like him."