Ricardo Brown is a former professional basketball player of Filipino descent. The Filipino-American was drafted by the Houston Rockets out of Pepperdine University, where he was a star player, in the third round. He was named the Southern California Player of the year in 1979 and All-West Coast, his Junior and Senior seasons.
Brown competed for his national team, the Philippine National Team-Northern Cement, in the 1980 Jones Cup. The Northern Cement team would go on to win the tournament, besting, Italy, Sweden, Taiwan and the United States.
After playing with the Northern Cement National Team, Ricardo joined the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the country’s professional league. He was a member of both the Great Taste Coffee Makers and San Miguel Beerman. Ricardo Brown was the first Filipino-American to play for the Philippine Basketball Associations as a ‘local.’ Brown excelled in the PBA. In his first year of play, he was the league’s Rookie of the Year (1983). In 1985, he was named the PBA’s Most Valuable Player and a member of the PBA’s Mythical Five in the years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988.
Ricardo Brown was dubbed “The Quick Brown Fox,” and was one of the best point guards in the PBA. He was a great scorer and adept at dishing out assists. Over the course of his career, Brown averaged 23.1 points and 7.3 assists a game. Both figures are PBA All-time bests.
Brown’s San Miguel team won 3 championships. These teams included what would become several future Hall-of-Famers, Samboy Lim, Hector Calma and Ramon Fernandez. In 2009, Ricky Brown, himself was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. He was also named as one of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players.
Today, Ricardo Brown is no longer involved in sports. Instead, education is now his game. He is the principle at Ross Middle School which is located in Artesia, California. His post as a principal for the school t is a first. Brown is the first Filipino-American to ever be hired as a principal in the ABC Unified School District, a very highly-respected and regarded district. In addition to being a principle, Brown is also a husband and father. He has two sons, Kevan and Justin with his wife, Lorma Sahagun Brown.
Ricardo Brown was a 6’1 point guard that became one of the most respected, successful and decorated players in the history of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). His ability to score and deliver assists was impressive and largely, unparalleled.
