Sports

Former NBA Star Dee Brown Joins Daughter Lexie at Final Four

Published

10 years ago

April 3, 2015

FILE - In this March 23, 2015, file photo, Maryland guard Lexie Brown reacts at the end of an NCAA college basketball game against Princeton in the second round of the NCAA tournament in College Park, Md. As the accolades and awards continue to mount for Maryland guard Lexie Brown, her father _ former NBA star Dee Brown _ happily concedes that the student has already outdone the teacher at the college level. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

In this March 23, 2015, file photo, Maryland guard Lexie Brown reacts at the end of an NCAA college basketball game against Princeton in the second round of the NCAA tournament in College Park, Md. As the accolades and awards continue to mount for Maryland guard Lexie Brown, her father, former NBA star Dee Brown, happily concedes that the student has already outdone the teacher at the college level. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Former NBA star Dee Brown taught his daughter all about the game of basketball Unfortunately, he doesn’t often get to see Maryland sharpshooter Lexie Brown play in person

He will this weekend.

The Sacramento assistant coach and former slam dunk champion is taking a break from his job and putting on his “dad hat” to see his daughter play in the women’s Final Four.

Lexie Brown could not be more excited.

“It’s going to be great. He couldn’t have come at a better time,” Brown said Thursday, shortly before the Terrapins headed to Tampa, Florida, for a showdown with Connecticut in the national semifinals on Sunday night.

“My mom was there for the first-round games, and when I look up at her, a calm comes over me,” Lexie said. “When I see my dad in the stands, it’s calm times 100. It’s like, ‘I got this. My dad’s here.’ I can’t wait.”

Her father is pretty pumped, too, even though he has watched Lexie play plenty of times this season on television and video. After every game, he calls with advice.

“I’m a dad first. I just tell her: ‘I’m proud of you, way to play hard.’ And then I’m a coach second,” said the 46-year-old Brown, who will miss the Kings’ game Sunday night against the Utah Jazz. “I’ll say, ‘Listen, you could have done this, you have shot this, you missed this pass here, you could have played defense better on this possession.’ But that’s probably very quick, and my dad hat comes out first to make sure she knows I’m proud of her and I’m always watching and supporting her.”

Even from afar.

“My daughter understands my job,” Brown said. “She knows I can talk to her every day, but this makes it more special. I’m nervous, probably more than she is just because it’s my first game all year.”

Lexie Brown wears No. 4, the same number her father wore in college at Jacksonville. This season she was named to the All-Big Ten first team, voted Most Outstanding Player at the Big Ten Tournament and was one of three Terrapins to average in double figures in scoring.

The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard is a big reason why Maryland has been in the Final Four in each of the past two years.

“She’s accomplished a lot more in her two years in college than I achieved in my whole college career,” Dee Brown boasts.

Lexie Brown attributes much of her skill to time spent with her father while growing up.

“We had a half-court in our backyard, so we were always out there,” Lexie recalled. “Then Dad opened up his own training facility in Orlando. That’s where we started our journey together, playing basketball in the gym for hours. Those are the moments I remember most vividly when I was younger, and I love them.”

When it came time to pick a college, Maryland didn’t really choose Brown. She chose Maryland.

“It was a real easy recruiting process because she wanted to come to Maryland and we wanted her,” coach Brenda Frese said. “I had a lot of great conversations with Dee, talking about what their expectations were and what ours were. It was a perfect fit.”

When Lexie showed up for her first practice last year, it was clear there was something different about her — in a good way.

“She was raised by her father, who grew up in the game,” Frese said. “She had poise beyond her years in every single element. That’s what makes her so special.”

Dee Brown played 12 years in the NBA with Boston, Toronto and Orlando. His most notable moment probably was at 1991 NBA Slam Dunk contest, which he won with a “no-look” jam.

Impressive stuff, except perhaps to Lexie’s friends.

“Most people my age have no idea who my dad is, which is completely OK with me,” she said. “But a lot of older people go, ‘Your dad did the dunk.'”

Lexie loves being Dee Brown’s daughter. But she’s also making a name for herself at Maryland.

“I’m proud of who my Dad is and what he’s accomplished,” Lexie said. “I love when I go out with him and people are like, ‘Dee Brown! Can I have your autograph? Can we take a picture?’ Every little girl loves seeing her dad be like a superstar. But now sometimes, it’s, ‘Dee, can you take a picture of me and Lexie?’

“To see the transition of being Dee Brown’s daughter to Lexie Brown the basketball player has been kind of cool.”

Dee Brown agrees.

“I like to let her get her own due not because she’s Dee Brown’s daughter. I’m Alexis Brown’s father,” Dee said. “It makes you feel good that she’s earned that, not just because of me, but because of the way she’s played and carried herself on the court.”

Dee Brown’s interest in Maryland basketball has rubbed off on the Kings, who will also have a rooting interest on Sunday night.

“I get the guys to watch and make sure they’re excited about the games,” Dee said. “I’m a proud dad.”

___

AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Shaka Smart Leaving VCU to Coach Texas

Don't Miss

Mo’Ne Davis’ Continual Rise in Sports and Education

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Barbara Lee

WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

6 days ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

3 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok