No doubt about it, James Brown is a prime-time player.
Whether he’s anchoring “The NFL Today” on CBS every week during football season, hosting the Super Bowl last month in Miami or calling a game during college basketball’s “March Madness,” J.B. (don’t call him James or Mr. Brown) brings a level of professionalism and character that’s rarely equaled in sports.
But back in high school, J.B. was much more comfortable on the hardwood than behind the microphone. The teenage James Brown made headlines as an All-American basketball player at DeMatha High School, outside of Washington, D.C. He was so talented on the court that J.B. was recruited by legendary coaches Dean Smith at North Carolina and John Wooden of UCLA—back when Wooden was coaching the Bruins to 88 straight wins.
Breakaway caught up with the always-on-the-go J.B. to ask him about his career, his passion for sports and his relationship with Jesus.
Breakaway: You were recruited by all the big-name colleges out of high school, yet you chose to attend Harvard. A lot of guys wouldn’t have made that choice. Was education always that important to you?
J.B.: I truly admired [NBA Hall of Famer] Bill Bradley when he was at Princeton and represented academic and athletic excellence—and I was so hopeful that I could do the same thing and be a positive influence, particularly for African-American athletes. My mother and father (God rest his soul) had driven home that education was the key to success in the game of life. And even though I was blessed to be on the varsity team of DeMatha High School, which was a humongous deal among my peers, Mom could not have cared less. She told me, “If your grades ever fall below a certain point or you aren’t here getting your homework done, you aren’t ever going to play basketball again.” And she was serious.
You made the All-Ivy League team three years and were captain of the team at Harvard. Why didn’t you play in the NBA?
This was during the time when there were two leagues: the NBA and the old American Basketball Association (ABA). I was drafted by the Denver Nuggets of the ABA and the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. I wanted to be in the established NBA league. The coach of the Hawks said, “We’ve got one spot open to be battled for.” Being an athlete and confident, I sized things up and said, “I know I can do it. I know I can make it.”
Then before the season, the coach called me to his office. I’m thinking he’s calling to congratulate me, but he was telling me he was letting me go. I cried like a little baby on the flight home. The athletic rug was snatched from underneath my feet. I hid in the house for a couple of weeks, ’cause all my friends were expecting me to play ball, and I didn’t.
Let me point a finger of responsibility at myself. I got complacent when I was in college and did not work as hard or as diligently as I should have. My high school coach’s words ring in my ears to this day. He said, “While you’re sitting back relaxing, taking it easy during the off-season, there’s somebody out there working in the sun, crafting, sharpening, honing his skills. And guess what happens if the two of you ever meet on the same court.” I had rested on my laurels, and I vowed to never allow that to happen again in pursuit of opportunities in the game of life.
How did you get involved in broadcasting?
I didn’t have any TV experience when I started doing the Washington Bullets [now Wizards] games. But people saw my sincerity, saw I had the knowledge of the game and gave me a shot without being a big-time NBA star. I worked hard at it. I always knocked on an executive’s door, a producer’s door, a news director’s door, a commentator’s door and asked them to take a look at my tape and give me some feedback on what I could do to improve. I studied myself on tons of tape and sought opportunities with cable and then with some regional basketball games for NBC. The people at CBS saw me doing a regional game and brought me over as an extra announcer for the NCAA tournament.
Since that time, you’ve hosted numerous Super Bowls, the Olympics, the NCAA tournament, NHL hockey and were the co-host of “Fox NFL Sunday,” which got you into the Television Hall of Fame. What do you bring to the table that makes you successful?
I’ve never been one who wanted to do just one thing, and my career reflects that diversity. This kind of goes back to a piece of advice an executive at CBS gave me. He said, “Because you don’t have a big name, you need to make sure you have as many well-rounded skills and experiences as possible. Do play-by-play, do anchor work, be a reporter, know how to cut tape. Do all of that.” I’m not a sports geek who can call off stats from 1955. My thing is more interview-oriented, getting inside someone’s head and putting a face on a person. I’m also very prayerful to make sure that which I’m doing is consistent with what God’s perfect will is for my life.
When did you first put your faith in Jesus?
We weren’t big churchgoers when I was in elementary school. When I was a teenager, we started going to church more fervently and talking more about faith. But God really took hold and became a firm foundation for me when I was about 23. When I didn’t realize my dream of playing professional basketball, I started to work for the Xerox Corporation as a sales director. I was making pretty good money and driving a nice, fancy car—a Corvette—and I remember feeling just the emptiest feeling in terms of being about hedonistic pursuits. Everything had to do with toys, clothes or cars. It was so shallow.
I’ll never forget: I was driving home one late night from work and had the emptiest feeling. I knew what it was, so I asked God, “If You would help me and deliver me from this superficial, hedonistic lifestyle, then I will work on being a better servant for You.” While there were a couple of stumbles along the way, I realized I had broken a blood covenant, and it hurt me so bad that I got stronger after that.
Do you have any advice for our readers?
Root yourself in a firm foundation based on your relationship with God. Then you are properly equipped to meet the challenges that life will throw your way. The Bible doesn’t say that there might be trials and tribulations, or that there could be. It says there will—you will encounter trials and tribulations. If you’ve built your house on rock, then it will withstand the beating of the storm. But if it’s on sand, of course, that creates the fall of that house. You know, the Evil One doesn’t come at you in different ways; he comes at you the same way at the same weaknesses that he knows you have. So daily seek God’s face and reinforce via prayer those things that are important to keep you grounded. 
