Bio

The sweet-shooting Fred Brown spent all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Sonics, making him the longest-tenured “career Sonic.” Seattle selected Brown out of the University of Iowa with the 6th overall pick in the 1971 NBA draft. After playing sparingly his rookie season, Brown cracked the Seattle rotation in his second year and became a staple of Sonics’ lineups for the next decade plus.

Brown boasts one of the greatest nicknames in NBA history – “Downtown Freddie Brown,” a nod to his lethal jumper. The nickname dates back to his high school days in Milwaukee. Freddie wreaked havoc from deep even without the aid of the 3-point line; it was not introduced until his 9th year in the league. The year following its introduction, Brown shot a blistering 44% from 3 to lead the league.

A career 14.6 point per game scorer, Brown led the Sonics in scoring in both 1976 (career high of 23.1) and 1977. His heroic 28.5 average in the 1976 playoffs against (future Sonic) Paul Westphal and the eventual Western Conference Champion Suns ranks as one of the greatest playoff performances in Sonics history.

As Brown aged, he eventually ceded his starting role to Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson. However, he continue to get the Sonics buckets as their 6th man, continuing to come off the bench until his retirement in 1984 and contributing until the end. As the resident veteran on the ’79 Championship Team, Brown was a valuable presence during the title run.

Seattle retired Freddie’s #32 in 1986, just two years after his retirement. A testament to Downtown’s importance to the franchise.