Ira Brown shares fun memories of playing in the Philippines, Iran and against Korea

TEXAS (United States of America) - Ira Brown is a veteran who has done and seen plenty in the world of basketball. The 37-year-old high-flyer took the time to sit down for a live chat on Instagram with @FIBAAsiaCup to share his experiences and thoughts.

Fans can re-watch the interview with Ira Brown on IGTV.

 

Brown started the talk by going through his unorthodox path in the world of basketball, which actually started in an entirely different sport. He recalled getting drafted out of high school… in Major League Baseball (MLB) by the Kansas City Royals, but shifted paths to basketball after a 5-year stretch playing in the minor league. From there, Brown went on to play collegiately at Gonzaga before heading overseas to play in Central and South America.

Finally in 2011, Brown landed his first job playing in Japan with the Toyama Grouses and the rest was history.

“I've been in Japan for almost 10 years now, so I'm very fortunate,” Brown said.

“Honestly, it's been great. Just the people, how generous they are, it's such a great culture. Great Society, very welcoming. They shower us with presents, with love, smiles. It's so awesome, they even trust me with their babies and stuff. I've been like a huge fan favorite over there.”

“But I mean the culture altogether, it’s just a tremendous place to be and it’s reason why I've stuck for so long. It's a great culture and safe. You have zero things to worry about here in Japan, so I totally would recommend anybody to go to Japan.”

Seeing how much Brown has fallen in love with the country, it’s no surprise that he later on acquired Japanese nationality and represented the Japanese national team in 2016.

“Honestly it was a big deal for me because I've always wanted to [play for a national team] in my career,” Brown said. “I was on the USA 3x3 national team in Athens, Greece [for the FIBA 3x3 World Championship] and having the ability to go to Japan and play with the national team there was absolutely a dream because I was on the 5x5 team.”

Brown did not go into the national team with the mentality to take control of the spotlight and instead blended in with the players, helping them grow and learn to be more tough minded. He mentioned how the team grew from struggling against higher-ranked opponents to become a solid unit where “everybody really, really enjoys being on the national team”.

By playing for Japan, Brown has expanded his experience of travelling the world. Whether it was playing in Lebanon for Asia Cup 2017 (which he admits to enjoying very much) and in Iran for Asia Challenge 2016, Brown gathered plenty of fun and memorable stories which he gladly shared. Brown said he was nervous at first concerning the political tension between Iran and the US where he was originally from, but found out during his time there that it was “nothing but politics that drives fear in people” and had an amazing time in the country.

Adjusting to playing for the national team late in one’s career is never easy. Luckily for Brown, he had a “big brother” who had previously taken a similar route in JR Sakuragi, another American-born Japanese citizen. Sakuragi has also spent most of his career and played for the senior national team in the late 2000s through the early 2010s.

“We have bible study and stuff together every week, Tuesdays and Fridays,” Brown said. “So we talk, we speak often.”

While Brown gets advice from a senior member of the program like Sakuragi, he played more of an advisor to a younger group of teammates like Yudai Baba, Yuki Togashi, Yuta Watanabe, and, of course, Rui Hachimura. Having been in the basketball circle for such a long time, Brown knows talent when he sees it which is why he regards these youngsters of Japan very highly.

“Baba has a lot of potential,” Brown said of Yudai. “He's fast. He can handle the ball a little bit. He's great in transition. Athletic for Japanese players and he's learning to shoot.”

“You have to understand that he's [25 years old] at the moment and he is getting great experience in the G League in the US, so I think he has tremendous upside. He just needs to continue to work on working on the ball and learning how to shoot. I think he has a really good shot of making a really good name for himself.”

“[Yuki] Togashi, I can't leave that guy out,” Brown then said of the diminutive floor general. “I call Togashi the giant killer. He’s absolutely fearless. He'll probably get mad at me for saying he's like 5’6” or whatever but to me he's a giant killer and one of the better guards I've ever seen.”

To no surprise, Brown also had a lot to say about one of the brightest up-and-coming stars of Japan basketball.

“I've guarded a lot of NBA players, a lot of really good players, but Rui, for his height, he shoots so high,” Brown then said about Hachimura. “It was really tough for me to block and I'm fairly athletic guy at any age so I couldn't block really his shot at all. He was just hitting that midrange shot on me every single time he pissed me off at practice, oh my gosh.”

“But that was that was something that we had with each other like for me to push him and to make him as best we can. Obviously, he was much better than me when I was guarding him so it's not like I did anything special.”

Brown also recalled that his strong connection with Rui dated back to before sharing the court on the national team or even the fact that they both played under coach Mark Few at Gonzaga.

“We connected way, way before that honestly,” Brown revealed. “When I first got to Japan, I played for Toyama where Rui had lived at the at the time, so I used to give Rui’s dad [Thomas] tickets to come to the game because he was like he used to work at this bar. So we used to go there and have drinks and stuff and hang out with his dad and I used to give his dad tickets to come to the games.”

Sure enough, Thomas took his son Rui to the games with those tickets as well.

“I didn't know how big he was until I started seeing the magazines and I was like ‘Holy crap, that's Thomas’ son’!”

Throughout his entire career, Brown has been known as a high-flying rimwrecker as evident by his two B.League Slam Dunk titles. He joked around about his frustration on missing out his third straight trophy last season and vowed to reclaim the throne this year.

More impressive that those dunk contest achievements, Brown recalled and listed some of his favorite slams playing for Japan in-game over the recent years. This left him wondering why his dunks were left off from the FIBA dunk of the decade bracket.

“I should have been at the top!” Brown joked about the topic.

As much of an entertainer Brown is for his aerial abilities, he’s as a fierce as a competitor on the court. That’s why he cherishes the clashes he’s had over the years with guys like Jordan’s Dar Tucker, Lebanon’s Fadi El Khatib, Iran’s Hamed Haddadi, Korea’s Ra Guna, and Chinese Taipei’s Quincy Davis who he is good friends with.

Aside from those individual matchups, Brown also enjoys playing against teams like Korea and the Philippines, too.

“Korea because there they was just constant movement and it was really hard to defend those guys. They can all shoot the ball really well, so that was one of my favorite teams to go against,” said Brown of Japan’s rival.

“Also, I can't leave out Philippines because of the athleticism that those guys have and they just play freely. I love that style of playing.”

The Philippines also holds a special place in Brown’s heart after spending an amount of time playing in the Philippines Basketball Association (PBA) back in 2011.

“It was a great experience and unfortunately I was only there for two and a half months,” Brown said. “But my short career in the Philippines was absolutely phenomenal. I loved everything about it. The fans were great. They were very professional. They took very good care of our bodies. We had everything we needed in terms of treatments and all type stuff and having a driver, having a chef. If there was anywhere else, the Philippines, for sure, is my second [most favorite] place that I've never played in. No doubt.”

Brown concluded the talk by emphasizing on the bright future for Japan basketball, whether it was about their young core of players or the fact that they will be hosting the two major basketball events in the near future in the Olympics and the World Cup 2023.

“I think that it's an opportunity of a lifetime for most players to be in the Olympics especially being the host country,” he said. “It's a tremendous honor. I'll be with the 3x3 basketball team and also be cheering on the 5x5. But to be able to say that I'm an Olympian or that I'm going to be an Olympian [means a lot]. Many athletes, what they chase for the entire lives and it’s like the pinnacle of their careers so I'm really looking forward to that.”

“I know we have some beautiful venues that have been built and everything is in preparation for the Olympics. I'm just super ecstatic about the entire event. I'm speechless!”

Don’t forget that you can re-watch the entire talk with Ira Brown at @FIBAAsiaCup IGTV!

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