As part of its reimagined NBA game and studio coverage plans for the 2023-24 season, ESPN announced Monday that it had reached an extension with Hubie Brown. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer will begin his 20th season with the Worldwide Leader and his 50th season in the NBA.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson was the first to report that Brown would be returning for another season at ESPN.
ESPN reaches an extension with @ESPNNBA analyst & Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Hubie Brown
🏀 Brown enters his 20th season as an analyst & 50th in the #NBA
đź”— https://t.co/3KzPkoiJug pic.twitter.com/7XiiohCGTM
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) August 14, 2023
While ESPN has moved on from the likes of Jeff Van Gundy and Marc Jackson, the network elected to retain the legendary coach and analyst, who will turn 90 years old this upcoming season. Brown’s new contract with the network has him calling games during the season, primarily teaming up with Mark Jones and Dave Pasch.
Brown signed a multi-year contract with ESPN in 2018, which gave him both regular season and playoff assignments, in addition to being an analyst on Sunday afternoon games aired on ABC alongside Jones, who he will be patterned with again.
His broadcasting career spans four national networks (USA, CBS, TNT, and ESPN/ABC) and two regional gigs with the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.
Brown has called games for so long, it’s easy to forget that he’s had a distinguished coaching career in the old ABA and NBA with the Kentucky Colonels, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Memphis Grizzlies. Speaking of the Grizzlies, Brown will be inducted into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame later this year.
His commentary can get a little racy, but overall, Brown is well-respected in the basketball community and is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as both a broadcaster and a coach.
Armed with this new extension, there’s no sign that Hubie plans to retire anytime soon.
[ESPN, Barry Jackon on Twitter]
