'A true fighter': Former Godby star, NBA referee Tony Brown passes away from pancreatic cancer
Long before Tony Brown officiated more than 1,000 NBA games - including a pair of NBA All-Star games and a game in the 2020 NBA Finals – he played basketball at Godby High.
Legend has it Brown, an athletic guard, never passed up a good shot. In reality, his former teammates lovingly joked Brown never passed the basketball either.
“I nicknamed him Peter Gun,” said Jeff Davis, the Cougars’ senior point guard in 1984 who signed with Florida State and was a lifelong friend with Brown.
“He always found a way to get the ball. I told him to let the offense run and rotate, but he’d somehow always found a way to get the ball. And shoot it. Just a great guy and friend.
"It was emotional to hear the news.”
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'A true fighter'
Brown, an NBA official for 20 years, died on Thursday due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 55.
Brown entered hospice care in his Atlanta hometown during his final days, according to his family. Brown was initially diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in April 2021. However, he was able to return to work at the league's replay center during the 2021-22 season.
Davis, a general manager with JCPenney in Valdosta, Georgia, routinely talked to Brown at least three times a week over the years. He last visited Brown in Atlanta earlier this month, describing him as “a true fighter.” The pair and others had planned to attend Florida A&M football’s homecoming game next Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“I knew he was in pain, but you would never know it and there was no indication of giving up,” Davis said. “He fought it until the end. I asked him how he was feeling and he was like, ‘JD, I am good. You ready for a pickup game? You still can’t handle me.’
“He was a true fighter.”
Brown, a 1985 graduate of Godby, signed with FAMU but transferred after his freshman season to Clark College - an HBCU now known as Clark Atlanta University. A non-scholarship player, Brown worked his way through school as an employee with Delta Air Lines. He graduated from Clark Atlanta in 1989 with a degree in finance.
Brown’s love for basketball led him to officiating, where he traveled the country attending clinics and working his way up to become one of the NBA’s top referees. He worked championship-round games in college, the CBA and WNBA and was a WNBA All-Star official before starting on a 20-year run with the NBA in 2002.
“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “The entire NBA family mourns Tony’s passing.”
Current and former NBA players also remembered Brown’s contributions to the game. Brown officiated the 2018 and 2021 NBA All-Star Games in addition to a game of the 2020 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
“Great ref but greater dude!” Los Angeles Lakers’ Lebron James said in a social media post. “Loved when I ran on the court for warmups and he would be on the game that night! Your smile & laugh will be missed tremendously here in our sport!”
'A great all-around guy'
Melvin Holland and Brown were both born in Marianna. But they first met as freshmen at Godby, striking up an immediate and enduring friendship. Holland also laughed when he reminisced about his teammate's penchant for shooting. The Cougars advanced to the FHSAA title game during Brown’s junior season, losing to Tampa Jesuit 88-71.
Holland, who lives in Virginia, often traveled to watch Brown officiate. He also left voicemails on Brown’s cell phone during games, teasing him about specific calls he made. Brown focused on fitness and never missed an assigned game as a referee. He had completed a 20-mile bicycle ride the day before he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Brown underwent more than a dozen rounds of chemotherapy.
“He told me thought he had food poisoning,” said Holland, who works with FedEx following a lengthy career in the airline industry. “You would have never thought anything was wrong with him. He’s always been a competitor. We’d sit around and talk family, basketball. We all enjoyed each other’s company.
“Just a great all-around guy.”
Albert Batts played football for the Cougars but became fast friends with Brown. The pair had classes together, trained in the weight room and helped in the school's front office. Batts said Brown valued sports and education, saying, "We had a lot of fun, but he was laid back, too, and knew that you couldn't play (sports) without school."
Ceremony at Godby in the works
Eugene Lamb, Jr. - a longtime area educator - coached Brown during the player's senior season at Godby. Brown served as team captain and helped the Cougars to the district title over Quincy Shanks. Lamb said the school plans to retire Brown's jersey No. 10 before Godby's home game against rival Rickards Friday, Jan. 6.
"Anthony was a very good leader, a great man and they say was one of the best referees they had in the pros," Lamb said. "We talked a few years ago, and I watched him on television officiate a game at Golden State. It was a great feeling to see one of my ball players officiate in the NBA."
Brown is survived by his wife and three children. His death comes after this year’s NBA season began Tuesday.
Brown’s family is asking people to contribute to the Tony Brown Basketball Scholarship Endowment at his alma mater to honor his memory.
"I haven't had time to sit around and be like, 'Why me?' or 'What am I going to do?'" Brown told The Associated Press earlier this year.
"Me not fighting would have made me feel like I was letting people down. What kind of example was I going to be to my kids if I just laid in this bed and let it overtake me? I had to show my kids that there's nothing in life that you can't challenge and overcome if you have a positive mindset."
Reach Jim Henry at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tony Brown, former Godby player and NBA ref, dies of pancreatic cancer
