Dee Brown remembers the North Shore

Basketball fans recognized a familiar face Wednesday at TD Garden, as former Celtic Dee Brown returned to Boston.
The 46-year-old Brown, now an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, first came to Boston as a 22-year-old after Celtics president Red Auerbach and CEO Dave Gavitt selected him 19th overall in the 1990 NBA Draft.
?This is home, so it?s always good to be back,” said Brown.?Being here makes me think of Red Auerbach, but I never called him Red. I used to call him Arnold, and he loved it. He was always in the locker room after the games, telling old stories about [Bill] Russell, [Bob] Cousy, and [John] Havlicek.”
Nearly 25 years have passed since Brown first wore Celtic green, but time has not faded the memories of his time in Boston.
?Nothing beat playing in that old Garden,” he said. “Seeing all those banners above your head and knowing that?s where all that history was made, just walking on the court was special.”
The North Shore also held a place close to Brown?s heart, as his activity in the community with at-risk youth was always a priority.
?I wanted to be a part of this community,” he said. “And I really cared about the people who supported me. My wife is from Cambridge, so it was natural here because it was home. She showed me the grassroots, the stuff that really made a difference. And that?s not always money, sometimes it?s just spending time speaking with kids in Dorchester and Mattapan, or north of Boston, in Lynn. You support the people who support you.”
Brown serves a dual role for the Kings. He is as an assistant on the coaching staff, as well as the team?s director of player development. Lessons that Auerbach taught him decades ago on the Garden parquet still resonate in his mind today.
?There was one year I was top three in the league in minutes per game,” said Brown. “I was exhausted, so I told him, ?I?m tired, I?m playing 40 minutes a game.? Auerbach said, ?You know what, son? Bill Russell averaged 47 minutes a game one year, but the game is 48 minutes. He still owes me a minute.? After that, I never complained about minutes.”
Brown made headlines during his rookie season after winning the 1991 slam dunk contest in Charlotte during All-Star Weekend.
?I made up that dunk on the spot,” Brown said, reminiscing about pumping up his Reebok Pump sneakers and covering his eyes before he threw one down in front of a captivated audience of players and fans. “Until then, dunking and the Celtics did not mix.”
After sharpening his teeth in the NBA with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Brown is content sharing his knowledge with a younger generation of players.
?The NBA was a lot different when I entered the league,” he said. “Back then, your best players were your hardest workers.”
Brown played eight seasons with the Celtics, and did not hesitate when asked who made the biggest influence on him as a player.
?Playing with Larry Bird was great,” he said. “We spent a lot of time together after practice playing H-O-R-S-E. He mostly shot three?s, and he would never let me dunk. I think he still has a couple of checks that I gave him 25 years ago.
?Knowing that Larry was the first one there and the last one to leave, that mentality got instilled in me early. This was Larry Bird, one of the top five players of all time, and here he was spending all this time with me ? as a rookie ? to show me what hard work looked like. I?ve used that for the rest of my career.”
Following a strong start to the season, the Kings are struggling at 13-19 and play in the brutally competitive Western conference. Brown still sees hope if the players focus on the success of the team instead of themselves as individuals. “I wanted to be a part of the tradition here when I played,” Brown said, “so I entrenched myself into it. Everything past Celtics did to win championships ? work hard every day and make sure things were done the right way ? I did from day one.”