Former Duke basketball assistant Hubie Brown delivered the final broadcast of his storied career at 91 years old for the Milwaukee Bucks 135-127 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
Brown became an assistant coach at Duke in 1968 after a season as an assistant at William & Mary. He stayed at Duke for two seasons until 1972, helping recruit Duke legends such as Art Heyman and Jeff Mullins.
After 1972, Brown decided to move to the NBA and became an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks. He coached in the NBA Finals in 1974 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson on that Bucks roster.
He later earned his first head coaching job in 1974 for the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA, taking the Colonels to an ABA Championship and winning in 1975. After the NBA/ABA merger when the Colonels franchise fizzled out, Brown spent 1976-2004 as the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Memphis Grizzlies.
After 2004, he then went completely into broadcasting and began his legendary career.
For the last twenty years, Brown was an NBA analyst for USA Network, CBS, TNT, and ABC. He called many NBA playoff games over his career, including the 2005 and 2006 NBA Finals alongside Al Michaels and Mike Breen for ABC. Brown covered 18 NBA Finals throughout his career and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Brown called his final NBA game when the Bucks hosted the 76ers this past Sunday with Mike Breen as his partner.
"I have so many things to be thankful for, but my family and I can never thank everyone enough," Brown said after the game. "We just want to send them the love that I've seen today right back with a big hug. It was a fantastic ride."
After the first timeout, Brown received a standing ovation from the crowd as a tribute video was played for him. People around the league also spoke to show their praise for the 91-year old who gave so much to the game of basketball.
"You brought so much passion to every telecast," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "You took great joy in teaching the finer points of basketball."
After more than 50 years as a player, coach, and broadcaster in and around basketball, Brown will retire as one of the most praised to ever do it.