Ira Brown

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Ira Brown
アイラ・ブラウン

| image = Ira Brown (cropped).jpg

| caption =

| position = Power forward

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 236

| team = Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka

| league = B.League

| number = 50

| nationality = Japanese / American

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|8|3|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Corsicana, Texas, U.S.

| high_school = Willis (Willis, Texas)

| college =

Phoenix College (2005–2007)
Gonzaga (2007–2009)

| draft_year = 2009

| career_start = 2009

| career_end =

| years1 = 2010

| team1 = Coras de Tepic

| years2 = 2010–2011

| team2 = Asociación Española

| years3 = 2011

| team3 = San Miguel Beermen

| years4 = 2011

| team4 = Lagartos UAN de Tepic

| years5 = 2011–2014

| team5 = Toyama Grouses

| years6 = 2014–2017

| team6 = Sunrockers Shibuya

| years7 = 2017–2019

| team7 = Ryukyu Golden Kings

| years8 = 2019–2023

| team8 = Osaka Evessa

| years9 = 2023–2024

| team9 = Chiba Jets Funabashi

| years10 = 2024

| team10 = Hiroshima Dragonflies

| years11 = 2024–present

| team11 = Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka

| highlights =

2x B.League Dunk Contest Winner (2017, 2018)
bj league Best Five (2013)
CIBACOPA All-Star (2010)

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's basketball }}

{{MedalCountry | {{JPN}} }}

}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Ira Brown

| image =

| position = Pitcher

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|8|3}}

| birth_place = Corsicana, Texas

| death_date =

| death_place =

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

}}

Ira Demon Brown (born August 3, 1982) is a Japanese-American professional basketball player for the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka 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.

Early life

Brown grew up in Corsicana, Texas, in a three-bedroom house along with "roughly 15 relatives."{{Cite web |title=Former Gonzaga forward Ira Brown charts unique path to Olympic Games |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jul/21/former-gonzaga-forward-ira-brown-charts-unique-pat/ |access-date=2022-06-09 |work=The Spokesman-Review |first=Jim |last=Meehan}}{{Cite web |title=Meet the Texas native who beat the odds and is trying to help Japan's 3x3 basketball team do the same |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-the-texas-native-who-beat-the-odds-and-is-trying-to-help-japans-3-x-3-basketball-team-do-the-same-111905913.html |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=sports.yahoo.com |date=25 July 2021 }} The house burned down in a fire, forcing him to relocate to another home, though he often stayed with friends. When he was 14 years old, Brown moved in with his former youth baseball coach, Earl Mitchell, in Conroe, Texas. He was eventually adopted by Mitchell.

College career

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

Professional career

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).{{cite news|url=https://www.latinbasket.com/Mexico/basketball-League-CIBACOPA_2010.aspx|title=Circuito De Baloncesto De La Costa Del Pacifico (2010)|work=Latinbasket.com|access-date=March 3, 2024}}

On October 2, 2024, Brown signed with the Hiroshima Dragonflies of the B.League.{{cite web |title=#33 アイラ・ブラウン選手契約合意（新規）のお知らせ |url=https://hiroshimadragonflies.com/news/detail/id=19947 |publisher=広島ドラゴンフライズ |access-date=2 October 2024 |date=2 October 2024}} On November 10, his contract was expired.{{cite web |title=#7ワース・スミス選手 #33アイラ・ブラウン選手退団のお知らせ |url=https://hiroshimadragonflies.com/news/detail/id=20128 |publisher=広島ドラゴンフライズ |access-date=29 November 2024 |date=11 November 2024}}

On November 14, 2024, Brown signed with the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka.{{cite web |title=【新規】アイラ・ブラウン選手契約締結のお知らせ |url=https://r-zephyr.com/news/detail/id=18158 |publisher=ライジングゼファー福岡 |access-date=29 November 2024 |date=14 November 2024}}

=The Basketball Tournament=

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.{{Cite web |title=Former Zags excited to play in TBT during Hoopfest |url=https://www.krem.com/article/entertainment/events/hoopfest/former-zags-excited-to-play-in-tbt-during-hoopfest/293-569041297 |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=krem.com |date=28 June 2018 }}

National team career

He became a Japanese citizen after extensive language testing and a waiting period which took two years. As of 2018, he resides in Okinawa.[http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/03/10/ira-brown-tokyo-basketball From Texas To Tokyo: How Ira Brown Found Family In Basketball] Abigail Leonard (wbur.org), 10 March 2017. Accessed 8 May 2017.

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.[https://www.fiba.basketball/asia/challenge/2016/Japan FIBA Asia Challenge 2016], FIBA.com, accessed 2 May 2017.

He played 3x3 basketball for Japan in the 2021 Olympics.

Baseball career

Brown was drafted in 2001 by the Kansas City Royals, and played in the minors for five years.{{Cite web |title=Ira Brown Stats & Scouting Report - Baseball America |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/players/54401/ira-brown/ |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=baseballamerica.com}}

Career statistics

| align="left" | 2011–12

| align="left" | Toyama

| 52 || 52 || 30.6 || .475 || .323 || .625 || 6.3 || 1.9 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 12.7

| align="left" | 2012–13

| align="left" | Toyama

| 50 || 48 || 31.8 || .537 || .254 || .658 || 9.1 || 3.2 || 2.0 || 1.2 || 16.5

| align="left" | 2013–14

| align="left" | Toyama

| 52 || 52 || 34.2 || .523 || .419 || .650 || 10.0 || 3.3 || 1.6 || 2.6 || 16.8

| align="left" | 2014–15

| align="left" | Hitachi

| 54 || 45 || 27.8 || .503 || .364 || .651 || 7.9 || 2.1 || 0.9 || 1.0 || 13.7

| align="left" | 2015–16

| align="left" | Hitachi

| 54 || 50 || 29.3 || .506 || .214 || .667 || 6.9 || 1.9 || 1.2 || 0.8 || 13.2

| align="left" | 2016–17

| align="left" | Shibuya

| 57 || 44 || 29.3 || .517 || .358 || .597 || 8.3 || 2.5 || 1.3 || 0.9 || 13.7

| align="left" | 2017–18

| align="left" | Ryukyu

| 60 || 58 || 28.7 || .490 ||.409 || .614 ||7.0 ||2.9 || 1.3 || 0.8 || 11.2

References

External links

{{FIBA|new_id=186893|old_id=89826}}
{{FIBA 3x3|6da722c4-a02f-4395-bf62-2e22b966a55f}}
[https://www.evessa.com/roster/players/detail/id=14066?PlayerID=8452 Profile at Osaka Evessa]
[https://www.fiba.basketball/asia/challenge/2016/player/Ira-Brown FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 Profile]
[http://basketball.asia-basket.com/player/Ira_Brown/Japan/Hitachi-SunRockers-Tokyo-Shibuya/136418 Asia-basket.com Profile]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150909113135/http://www.gozags.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/brown_ira00.html Gonzaga Bulldogs bio]
{{Olympics.com|ira-brown}}
{{Olympedia}}

Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:3x3 basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Argentina

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Japan

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Mexico

Category:American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines

Category:American men's 3x3 basketball players

Category:American men's basketball players

Category:Baseball players from Montgomery County, Texas

Category:Basketball players from Texas

Category:Burlington Bees players