Iconic NBA official Tony Brown passes away aged 55, fans and players sent tributes

Tony Brown, who worked for the NBA for many years, died on Wednesday after a brave battle with cancer. The NBA experienced a sad day as one of its seasoned officials, Tony Brown, passed away. At the age of 55, the seasoned official was battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Brown, a native of Florida, had presided over 35 playoff games and 1,110 regular season games over the course of 20 seasons. The seasoned official first enrolled at Florida A&M before switching to Clark Atlanta University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

Brown earned All-State basketball honors in his senior year at Atmos P. Godby in Tallahassee, Florida. He spent four seasons in the G League, three in the CBA, and three in the WNBA before signing with the NBA.

In addition to the 2001 CBA Finals, Brown also officiated the 2002 WNBA Finals and the 2002 All-Star Game at the time. The league has a significant gap to fill in the wake of Brown’s tragic passing. Nevertheless, Twitter made the decision to honor the seasoned official.

Chris Hynes pays his respect to Tony Brown on Twitter, he said, “Tony Brown, a longtime NBA official, passed away today after a valiant battle with cancer. He was a cool brother and one of the best at jogging the sidelines. In peace, please.”

Marc J. Spears said, “Rest In Peace, Tony Brown. You have missed brother.”

LeBron James was very upset with the news. He showed his feelings on Twitter. He said, “RIP, Tony Man! Excellent referee, but even better, man! I enjoyed knowing that he would be at the game that night when I raced onto the court to warm up. Your wit and grin will be sorely missed in our sport.”

 

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