Anthony Brown, Besiktas forward, spoke to Basketball Sphere about working with Dusan Alimpijevic, his upcoming EuroLeague debut, his short stint at Partizan, and fulfilling his dream of being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
In recent years, Anthony Brown has worn the jerseys of several European clubs, spending seasons in Serbia, France, Israel, and Russia. Last season, he helped Besiktas reach three finals – the Turkish Super League, the Turkish Cup, and the EuroCup. Although they didn’t win any of them, the Black-and-Whites secured a spot in the EuroLeague for next season, where they replaced Monaco, for the first time in 13 years. This will also be a chance for the 34-year-old American to make his debut on Europe’s biggest stage.
He is spending the offseason in his native California, where he is actively preparing for new challenges. Although he is very quiet by nature off the court, you can feel the hunger in his voice for success, winning, and trophies – something he learned was most important as a young player.
“First thing I do after the season is reflect and evaluate what I did well and what I could have done better. Then I evaluate my body, areas that are hurting and things to correct before I go back to Europe. After that, I usually start in the weight room. I have been using same trainer for the last 10 years, so he knows me really well.
First couple of weeks we just asses the body and try to improve my movement patterns before we get in the weight room. I take the first week off. That is the week I just reflect, and adjust to jet lag. I don’t like to do too much until I am adjusted to jet lag. This year I took around 7 to 10 days. After that, I started working with my weight coach.
Depending on the season, on how I feel, what my trainer says, we start getting on the court depending what he thinks it’s best for me. Some years I came back less beat up from the season. Every time it’s different. Some years I came back and was nursing something through the season and needed a little bit more time.“, Anthony Brown started for Basketball Sphere.
A big part of American pro player culture is pro-am runs in the offseason. Even some of the biggest names in basketball, especially when they are younger, spend a few weeks just playing with regular people in local gyms.
“I would say I did when I was a little bit younger or if I was on a team that didn’t go to the finals. If I finished season, let’s say, May 15-20th, I would around July, because I’ve been home for 2 months. For example, this season we finished around June 20th, so probably not. It just depends on how I feel. I will play one on one against other players, but in term of five on five, it depends.”
Anthony Brown completed his 11th professional season, but one thing is still more than clear – winning comes first. The fire to achieve goals simply doesn’t go out.
“I’m really just a person that always wanted to fulfill my potential and just max out. When I retire from basketball, I want to say that I gave it 100%. That’s really my only goal. I don’t want to have any regrets when I am done, so that’s what keeps me going. Because, at some point, basketball is going to end and I want to be able to transition smoothly to whatever comes next. Also, I just love the game and I love competition.”
A big part of career longevity is something that was neglected and disparaged in the past – player mental health. Fortunately, it has ceased to be a taboo topic in the sports world. Anthony Brown explained to us that he had a long-time acquaintance who happens to be one of the greatest EuroLeague legends, former Panathinaikos center Mike Batiste, who helped him when he was younger.
“I think it’s a combination of few things. First thing is my dad was a coach in Long Beach, California. That always helps. He actually coached Mike Batiste. I looked up to him when I was young and grew up watching his journey. Having a father who can tell you and help you along the way is one thing. Then you have the veterans. I had veteran players showing me what to do, how to deal with certain things. And then you just need experience. You have years where you make bad or not the smartest decisions and then you just learn from it. Those are the three biggest things.”
Unlike his playing style on the court, which is very aggressive on both offense and defense, off the floor, the Besiktas forward seems much more relaxed. However, once the buzzer sounds for the start of the game, a different side of the American comes out.
“I’m very calm person off the court, very relaxed. It’s kind of my personality. On the court, you could say I am a different person. I go into a different space. Once it’s a competitive setting, the other side of me comes out. I just want to win at all costs. Otherwise, pretty calm off-court.”
Besiktas had a very good season behind them, even though it ended without a trophy to crown all the effort put in over the last 12 months. Fenerbahce was better in the finals of the Turkish Cup and the Turkish Super League, while Bourg stood in the way of the Istanbul Black-and-Whites on their path to the EuroCup trophy.
“First of all, it was very tough to lose three finals, but I also think that we should be proud that we got to the finals, because a lot of teams didn’t get there. Turkish Cup final – I think Fenerbahce was a better team. EuroCup final was a little bit disappointing. I can say that everybody was disappointed, it took few weeks to get mentally over that. That was very tough.
And Turkish Super League finals was tough because of all the injuries we had, so that one was an uphill battle. I think the biggest thing the team learned that there is one, two, three possessions in the game that you maybe don’t think about, but can be difference between winning and losing a game. That was the biggest thing. We were favorites against Bourg, we played with too much pressure on our shoulders and they were free. That’s the big thing – we didn’t handle the pressure. It’s simple as that.“
The loss in Game 4 of the Turkish Super League finals, in which Fenerbahce claimed the title, was especially painful because of how it ended. Wade Baldwin made an unbelievable assist out of a virtually hopeless situation to find Tarik Biberovic, and the Turkish national team player hit the shot to trigger Fenerbahce’s celebration and another fall at the final hurdle for Besiktas.
“That one hurt. But I do think he made an amazing play and Tarik (Biberovic) hit an amazing shot. This is what made Fenerbahce so good these past few years. They always find a way to make a play at the end of the game. So, it did sting, but when somebody goes for a layup then changes his decision mid air and throws a behind a back pass perfectly to a wide open shooter I can’t ask for more. It was great defense, amazing pass, great shot.”
One of the biggest reasons for Besiktas’ meteoric rise over the last three years is coach Dusan Alimpijevic, who arrived when the club was in very bad shape and had them playing in the EuroLeague just three years later. Anthony Brown had already worked with him at Bursaspor, and Alimpijevic was among those most responsible for bringing the American to Istanbul.
“He had a very big role in me coming to Besiktas. I worked with him before, it was a short stint but I knew him and I saw his vision… One thing about him is he has very high standards and high energy. The first year I saw Besiktas they were really good, they went to semis. Second year, they went to the finals. There was not really much you need to sell to me, because I am about winning. I saw that they were building something and that I could help them.
The best thing he did for me is push me out of my comfort zone to become a more complete player. I’ve always been a scorer, but he helped me on defense and the intangibles, showing me ways I can be better, tougher, and smarter. I want to be a complete player and that’s why I like working with him – you are going to become a better player. It’s not going to be easy, but you are going to become a better player and you are going to win. He is one of the best young coaches in Europe.”
Through the experience of working with the head coach of the Serbian national team, he realized why Alimpijevic is praised as one of the best young coaches in Europe – he manages to push players out of their comfort zones, making them better in the process.
“He is super competitive, tough and has a lot of passion. We all have more than we know and he pushes us to our limits. That’s what I see all the best teams and coaches are doing, they are pushing players to more than they believe they have inside of them. If you think you are giving 100 percent and he thinks you are giving 90, he will find a way to get that extra 10 percent out of you.”
Besiktas returns to the EuroLeague after 13 years, where demanding work awaits them. At the same time, it will be a chance for Anthony Brown to debut on the biggest European stage. He enters next season, by his own admission, with a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to play in the EuroLeague, but also with a desire – shared by the rest of the team – to show that Besiktas belongs there.
“It’s a little bit of both. Definitely I can say that I am grateful to be able to have the opportunity, because very select few coaches and players get to play in EuroLeague. At the same time, I am not happy just to be there. I want to show what myself and the team can do and we want to play against the best.”
His first club in Europe was Partizan. Back in 2018, after seasons in the NBA, he arrived at the Belgrade club, but didn’t stay long. Now he has revealed the reasons behind his early departure.
“That was a very interesting time. I had went to the training camp with the 76ers and then, at the time, I didn’t make final cut. My agent told me that there was a team in Serbia that was playing in EuroCup, Partizan. They were struggling a bit at the time and the coach (Nenad Canak) called me. I got there on a Wednesday, they had a game on Thursday or Friday.
We had a game against Zadar, I didn’t play in the game. Zadar won by 10 and after the game they decided to have a coaching change. I had just got there and in two days there was a coaching change. It was my first time in Europe, I didn’t know what was going on. They hired (Andrea) Trinchieri as a new coach. His philosophy was just a little bit different, he wanted more guards. So that’s what happened, nothing went bad, just bad timing.“
Before arriving in Europe, Anthony Brown fulfilled his childhood dream. Born in Bellflower, part of the Los Angeles Municipality, like the vast majority of kids there, he dreamed of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 2015 NBA Draft, his wish came true when the Lakers selected him in the second round.
“It was a definitely a dream come true. Amazing experience. I was at my house with some of my close friends and family. I always believed that I would make it to the NBA, but I never could imagine that I could be drafted by hometown team. It was definitely amazing moment. I think there are only a select few players from Los Angeles that got drafted to the Lakers. I’m grateful for that.”
To make things even more incredible for a 22-year-old, he shared a locker room in his rookie season with the late Kobe Bryant. Bryant retired from playing basketball at the end of that season, but his legacy lives on a decade later and will likely live on as long as there are those who have watched at least one of his games.
“I think the thing I remember the most was in the last stage of his career, his basketball routine was so consistent every single day. Weights every morning at 5.30 a.m. I remember in training camp, when I got to the gym around hour and half early, he was already at the court, getting up hundreds of shots. Another thing that I really appreciated was he wasn’t only about offense. He also was very big about defense. Most All-Star players are mostly about offense, but he was big on doing right things on defense and I believe that’s why he has five championships.”
Finally, we touched upon whether he would change anything in his career if he could. However, the experienced veteran firmly believes that everything he has done so far has prepared him for the next step.
“Sometimes I think about this. What would I change if I could change something? Then other times, I say: ‘If I change something, maybe I wouldn’t be the person that I am today’. I wouldn’t change anything. We all want to stay in the NBA forever when we are kids, but everybody can’t stay in the NBA based on numbers. I would say, through all ups and downs, being in America and Europe in different situations, everything has prepared me for this chapter. Maybe I could have gone to the EuroLeague few seasons earlier, but maybe I wasn’t ready to be successful. Now, I know I am ready to be successful 100 percent”, Anthony Brown concluded for Basketball Sphere.
