Collier "P. J." Brown Jr. (born October 14, 1969) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). The , center/

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

was selected out of

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...

by the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

with the 29th overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, but began his NBA career only in the 1993–94 season. He was voted into the

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

three times, in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, and won the NBA Sportsmanship Award in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. He attended Winnfield Senior High School in Winnfield, Louisiana, where he played for the Winnfield Tigers, and has played professionally for the Nets,

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

and

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. Brown retired from the NBA after winning an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008.

College

Brown played four years at Louisiana Tech and averaged 10.1

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

and 8.4 rebounds per game in 121 contests. He left Louisiana Tech as the Bulldogs' second all-time leader in blocks with 241, and fifth in rebounds with 1,017.

NBA career

New Jersey Nets (1993–1996)

Brown was selected out of

with the 29th overall pick in the second round of the 1992 NBA draft by the

. However, he elected to play in the 1992–93 HEBA A1 season in his first year out of college and averaged 17.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game for Panionios B.C. In his first three seasons in the NBA, from

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, he played in 240 regular season games for the Nets and increased his starts from 54 games in the 1994 season to 63 in the 1995 season before starting in all 81 games that he appeared in the 1996 campaign. The Nets made the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

in 1994, and Brown appeared in four first round playoff games as New Jersey was eliminated by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. That season also featured Brown participating in the 1994 Rookie Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend. In addition to increasing his playing time Brown also increased his scoring average each year, and in the 1996 season he would average a then career high 11.3 points with 6.9 rebounds a game. The Nets however did not reach the post-season in both his second and third year with the team. In the 1996 off-season he would sign as a free agent with the

Miami Heat (1996–2000)

Miami had made the playoffs the previous year led by all-star center

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...

, point guard

Tim Hardaway Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...

and head coach

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

, who decided to start Brown for 71 games in the 1996–97 season. Brown increased his shooting percentage and rebounding, received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and was named to the

as the Heat won a franchise best 61 games and the Atlantic Division Title. Brown's defense and rebounding helped the Heat advance in the

, as they defeated the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in the first round in 5 games and

in a grueling 7 games series. He came up big in the crucial games of the playoffs, scoring 12 points with 14 rebounds in the deciding game against Orlando and 18 points with 12 rebounds in a game 5 win at home against the Knicks. In that game, Brown was attempting to establish rebounding position with Knicks point guard

Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and current head coach for the Florida A&M Rattlers. Ward was an exceptional college football player as w ...

before lifting and flipping him onto a row of photographers along the baseline, leading to a brawl between the teams. This would result in Brown being suspended for the last two games of the series, along with players from the New York bench who intervened. Despite overcoming New York, the team could not overcome the defending champion

, who defeated Miami in 5 games in the franchise's first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Brown averaged 9.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in the playoffs. Starting in all 74 games in which he appeared, Brown posted nearly identical production in the 1997–98 season as the Heat once again entered the

but came up short in a five-game first round loss against

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In the lockout shortened 1998–99 season, Brown was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second time in his career and averaged a career high 11.4 points a game. The Heat once again won the Atlantic Division but also were once again defeated in a stunning first round series in 5 games to the eighth-seeded Knicks. Brown's role continued in the 1999–2000 season, and the Heat would win in the first round against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

before facing the Knicks for the fourth straight year. Once again, the Heat would fall to their New York rivals in another long and grueling 7-game series.

Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets (2000–2006)

On August 1, 2000, Brown, alongside

Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn Sr. (born November 29, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Monster Mash", Mashburn was a prolific scorer as a small forward in his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Assoc ...

, Otis Thorpe, Tim James and Rodney Buford, was traded to the

in exchange for Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason, Dale Ellis and Ricky Davis. In 2000–01, his first season with the Hornets, Brown was selected to his third

. In 2001–02, he was chosen as the Central Division recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. The Hornets relocated to New Orleans prior to the 2002–03 season, where Brown had his best scoring seasons, averaging 10.6

per game in 240 regular season games from

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. During the 2002–03 season, he received the NBA Community Assist Award for the month of September and was again chosen as the Central Division recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award, for the second consecutive time. In 2003–04, he was yet again chosen as the Central Division NBA Sportsmanship Award recipient, for the third consecutive season, this time capturing the 2004 NBA Sportsmanship Award. Prior to the 2006–07 season, Brown had played in 999 regular season games, including 941 starts. By that time, he was one of 26 players in NBA history to have 8,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, 1,000 assists and 1,000 blocks.

Chicago Bulls (2006–2007)

On July 13, 2006, Brown was traded by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets along with J. R. Smith to the

in exchange for Tyson Chandler. He played well as a veteran with the young team, starting the majority of his games, though he scored in meager proportions, and only averaged a career-low of 20.2 minutes per game.

Retirement thoughts

After the 2006–07 season, Brown did not re-sign with the Bulls and rejected offers from several teams interested in his services, citing he might have been done with his career. He went into semi-retirement while contemplating a possible return, lasting considerably into the 2007–08 season.

Boston Celtics (2008)

On February 27, 2008, after resting for most of the 2007–08 season and weighing his options, Brown signed with the

for the remainder of the season, in order to bolster their front court. His decision to come to Boston was strongly aided by a conversation with future teammates

Ray Allen Walter Ray Allen Jr. (born July 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Allen played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a play ...

and

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. As of September 2024, he is a contributo ...

, who convinced him to sign with the Celtics during the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

NBA All-Star Weekend. The

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

and

were interested in his services, but he chose the Celtics instead. He made his debut against the

, his former team, on March 7, 2008. Brown had an unexpected breakout performance which took place in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

on May 18, 2008, when he scored 10

and pulled down 6 rebounds, hitting all of his four shots and making key contributions in the fourth quarter. He hit a key shot with less than two minutes left in the game as the Celtics went on to win the game 97–92. After the game, he told reporters: "That shot, hey, probably I would say the biggest shot of my career". He also had a strong performance in Game 1 of the

2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 NBA season, 2007–08 season and conclusion of 2008 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs. A best-of-seven playoff series that was ...

against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

on June 5, 2008, playing increased minutes in the first Finals game of his 15-year career en route to a Celtics victory. He retired at the end of that season with a championship.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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, 80 , , 63 , , 30.8 , , .446 , , .167 , , .671 , , 6.1 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , 1.7 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 36.3 , , .444 , , .200 , , .770 , , 6.9 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 80 , , 71 , , 32.4 , , .457 , , .000 , , .732 , , 8.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 74 , , 31.9 , , .471 , , , , .766 , , 8.6 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 32.2 , , .480 , , , , .774 , , 6.9 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 28.8 , , .480 , , .000 , , .755 , , 7.5 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .8 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 80 , , 79 , , 35.1 , , .444 , , .000 , , .852 , , 9.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 80 , , 80 , , 32.0 , , .474 , , , , .858 , , 9.8 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 78 , , 78 , , 33.4 , , .531 , , .000 , , .836 , , 9.0 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 34.4 , , .476 , , .000 , , .854 , , 8.6 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 78 , , 34.4 , , .446 , , , , .864 , , 9.0 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .6 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans/OKC , 75 , , 73 , , 31.7 , , .461 , , , , .827 , , 7.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 72 , , 49 , , 20.2 , , .407 , , .000 , , .787 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , .3 , , .7 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 18 , , 0 , , 11.6 , , .341 , , .000 , , .688 , , 3.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,089 , , 990 , , 31.1 , , .460 , , .136 , , .794 , , 7.7 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 9.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

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, 4 , , 1 , , 14.0 , , .222 , , , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , .5 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 15 , , 30.1 , , .408 , , , , .717 , , 8.6 , , .7 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

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, 5 , , 5 , , 38.0 , , .514 , , , , .364 , , 8.8 , , .8 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 5 , , 5 , , 28.8 , , .467 , , .000 , , .900 , , 6.2 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

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, 7 , , 7 , , 36.6 , , .366 , , , , .909 , , 9.7 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

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, 25 , , 0 , , 13.6 , , .464 , , .000 , , .840 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 106 , , 78 , , 27.2 , , .434 , , .000 , , .751 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .8 , , 7.1

Personal life

Brown and his wife have four children. His daughter, Kalani Brown, is a professional basketball player with the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

. Brown's nickname "P.J." was given to him by his grandmother as a child, due to his affinity for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Notes

References

External links

P.J. Brown
at SI.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, P. J. 1969 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Greece American men's basketball players Basketball players from Louisiana Basketball players from Detroit Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls players Greek Basket League players Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball players Miami Heat players New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players New Orleans Hornets players Panionios B.C. players People from Winnfield, Louisiana Power forwards 20th-century American sportsmen

College

NBA career

New Jersey Nets (1993–1996)

Miami Heat (1996–2000)

Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets (2000–2006)

Chicago Bulls (2006–2007)

Retirement thoughts

Boston Celtics (2008)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

Notes

References

External links