Windy

As a DuSable standout, Brown was part of the first all-Black basketball team to make it to state finals and created the Windy City Basketball League to give ...

“I invited him to my daughter’s wedding at the Palmer House, and he had such a great time. Craddock, an 87-year-old retiree, spoke with Brown regularly, the two updating each other on their lives and sharing stories about their grandchildren, he said. I never thought I’d get that tired,” said Craddock, who got to know Brown during trips to games across the United States. “We were so tired we couldn’t even walk over to where they had the trophies. “Basketball has given me family and a holistic approach to the entire world,” Brown said. “He always thought I was great player. Through his league for older men, judges played alongside janitors, stockbrokers and teachers, forming friendships to last a lifetime. Brown’s love for the game and impeccable sportsmanship is what his friends and former teammates will miss most, they said. “He had no ego. He was NBA material, but quotas kept him out, former teammates said. He is survived by his daughter, Rosalind; granddaughters Grace and Ryann; and grandsons Rawlin and Justin. He was 86.