Man, thinking about Brett Brown brings back some memories. It wasn’t really about his plays or rotations for me, not the typical fan stuff.
I started really watching the Sixers during that whole “Process” thing. Remember that? Felt like years of just… losing. A lot of losing. It was tough to watch sometimes, honestly. Felt kinda hopeless from the outside looking in.
So, I got into this weird routine. My own little practice, I guess. After the games, especially the really bad ones, I’d make sure to find his press conference online. Didn’t always listen super close to the basketball talk. I was watching him. Just how he handled himself up there.
Night after night, same questions, same tough losses. He had this way about him. Looked worn down sometimes, who wouldn’t be? But he always seemed to keep it together. Always talking about ‘culture’, ‘player development’, ‘the long view’. Even when the team was clearly outmatched.
- I’d watch his body language.
- How he answered repetitive questions.
- How he talked about the young guys.
Some people online couldn’t stand him, said he was just saying words. I get that. But for me, watching him just show up, day in and day out, in that pressure cooker… it was something else.
Around that time, I was going through my own stuff. A real slog at my job, felt like I was hitting a wall constantly. Nothing seemed to be working out right. Seeing Brown just keep plugging away, talking about building something piece by piece, even when the results weren’t there yet… it kinda clicked for me on a different level.
It wasn’t about basketball strategy. It was about seeing someone publicly navigate a long, difficult stretch. Just pure persistence. Keep showing up. Keep working. Keep facing the music. That was my takeaway from watching Brett Brown during those years.
Yeah, he eventually got let go. That’s how it goes in pro sports. But my whole ‘practice’ of watching him wasn’t about whether he was the greatest coach ever. It was just observing how a person handles that kind of sustained adversity. Taught me a little something about sticking it out, you know? Just keeping your head down and doing the work, even when it’s rough. That stuck with me more than any win-loss record.
