Ira Demon Brown (born August 3, 1982) is a Japanese-American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chiba Jets Funabashi of the Japanese B.League. He had also spent three years with the Hirachi/Shibuya Sunrockers, as well as two years with the Toyama Grouses during his career in Japan.

Ira Brown
アイラ・ブラウン
No. 50 – Chiba Jets Funabashi
PositionPower forward
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1982-08-03) August 3, 1982 (age 41)
Corsicana, Texas
NationalityJapanese
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight236 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolWillis (Willis, Texas)
College
NBA draft2009: undrafted
Playing career2009–present
Career history
2010Coras de Tepic
2010–2011Asociación Española
2011San Miguel Beermen
2011Lagartos UAN de Tepic
2011–2014Toyama Grouses
2014–2017Sunrockers Shibuya
2017–2019Ryukyu Golden Kings
2019–2023Osaka Evessa
2023–presentChiba Jets Funabashi
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Japan
EABA Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Nagano Team
Ira Brown
Pitcher
Born: (1982-08-03) August 3, 1982 (age 41)
Corsicana, Texas
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Early life edit

Brown grew up in Corsicana, Texas, in a three-bedroom house along with "roughly 15 relatives."[1][2] The house burned down in a fire, forcing him to relocate to another home, though he often stayed with friends.[1] When he was 14 years old, Brown moved in with his former youth baseball coach, Earl Mitchell, in Conroe, Texas.[1] He was eventually adopted by Mitchell.[1]

College career edit

Brown began his college career at Phoenix College before transferring to Gonzaga in 2007.

Professional career edit

In 2010, Brown earned league all-star honors as a member of the Coras de Tepic of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA).[3]

The Basketball Tournament edit

Brown played for Team A Few Good Men in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament. In two games, he averaged five points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game on 40 percent shooting. A Few Good Men made it to the Second Round before falling to Team Gael Force.[4]

National team career edit

He became a Japanese citizen after extensive language testing and a waiting period which took two years. As of 2018, he resides in Okinawa.[5]

He was a member of Japan's national basketball team at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran, where he recorded the most rebounds, steals and blocks for his team.[6]

He played 3x3 basketball for Japan in the 2021 Olympics.[1][2]

Baseball career edit

Brown was drafted in 2001 by the Kansas City Royals, and played in the minors for five years.[7]

Career statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Toyama 52 52 30.6 .475 .323 .625 6.3 1.9 1.4 0.9 12.7
2012–13 Toyama 50 48 31.8 .537 .254 .658 9.1 3.2 2.0 1.2 16.5
2013–14 Toyama 52 52 34.2 .523 .419 .650 10.0 3.3 1.6 2.6 16.8
2014–15 Hitachi 54 45 27.8 .503 .364 .651 7.9 2.1 0.9 1.0 13.7
2015–16 Hitachi 54 50 29.3 .506 .214 .667 6.9 1.9 1.2 0.8 13.2
2016–17 Shibuya 57 44 29.3 .517 .358 .597 8.3 2.5 1.3 0.9 13.7
2017–18 Ryukyu 60 58 28.7 .490 .409 .614 7.0 2.9 1.3 0.8 11.2

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Meehan, Jim. "Former Gonzaga forward Ira Brown charts unique path to Olympic Games". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  2. ^ a b "Meet the Texas native who beat the odds and is trying to help Japan's 3x3 basketball team do the same". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  3. ^ "Circuito De Baloncesto De La Costa Del Pacifico (2010)". Latinbasket.com. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Former Zags excited to play in TBT during Hoopfest". krem.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  5. ^ From Texas To Tokyo: How Ira Brown Found Family In Basketball Abigail Leonard (wbur.org), 10 March 2017. Accessed 8 May 2017.
  6. ^ FIBA Asia Challenge 2016, FIBA.com, accessed 2 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Ira Brown Stats & Scouting Report - Baseball America". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.

External links edit