![]() Brown (left) attempts a layup in 2015 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Chicago, Illinois | December 27, 1999
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 178 lb (81 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Simeon (Chicago, Illinois) |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Position | Point guard |
Career history | |
2018 | Chicago Ballers |
2019–2021 | Chicago Angels |
2022 | Chicago Ballers |
2022 | Ensenada Lobos |
Marquis "Kezo" Brown Jr. (born December 17, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Angels of the American Basketball Association (ABA). He competed for Simeon Career Academy in his hometown of Chicago, where he was a three-star recruit and one of the top high school players in Illinois from his freshman year. Despite being sidelined and hospitalized with mental health issues in multiple seasons at Simeon, he continued drawing interest from Chicago State, eventually committing to play for them at the NCAA Division I level. However, Brown later dropped his college plans, instead turning professional with the Chicago Ballers in the Junior Basketball Association. Brown was shot five times during an altercation in Chicago in March 2019.
In the 2014–15 season, Brown became the first freshman to play for Simeon Career Academy under head coach Robert Smith other than Jabari Parker. [1] Before the season, Simeon was ranked 13th in the nation by basketball website MaxPreps, and Smith praised Brown: "He's a true point guard and does the dirty work. He can score but is also great at getting guys open." [2] As a freshman, Brown helped the team finish with a 27–3 record and earn a second-place finish at the Chicago Public League Tournament in 2015. [3] He was considered one of the top freshman in the country, drawing attention from various colleges, mainly Nebraska and DePaul. [4] He also received interest from top programs like Duke and Kentucky. [5]
Despite his early success, Brown was sidelined for much of his sophomore season due to a mental health issue, which was undisclosed at the time, playing under 30 total minutes in the season and seeing dwindling interest from colleges. [4] [6] However, he began playing again in the following spring, starring on the Mac Irvin Fire Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team. [4] [7] In his junior year, Brown assumed a leading role for Simeon, scoring 26 points in a city title game win over Morgan Park High School. [8] In May 2017, he suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. [6] In the summer, he committed to play college basketball at Chicago State, being considered one of the program's best recruits ever. [9]
In October 2017, it was announced that Brown was in a psychiatric hospital. [6] As a result, he was sidelined for his entire senior season at Simeon. However, he was still expected to graduate high school. [10]
In May 2018, Brown announced plans to join the Chicago Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a newly-formed alternative professional league to college basketball created by LaVar Ball. [10] He was encouraged to make the decision after Tracy Dildy, who was fired by Chicago State after Brown committed, became head coach of the Ballers. [10] However, Dildy was later replaced as head coach of the Chicago Ballers by former Chicago State assistant Eddie Denard. Brown signed a two-year, non-guaranteed contract in June. [10] [11] His father Marquis Brown, Sr. said, "It has been a big whirlwind. I think God has to put you through situations. Not everyone got this opportunity. We can name at least 10 players that would be happy to be in this situation." [10] Brown recorded a career-high 46 points in a 125–117 overtime win over the Houston Ballers.
Brown reportedly left the JBA for an opportunity to play in France. [12] However, this opportunity never materialized and Brown stayed in the United States looking for additional opportunities to continue his career.
On September 9, 2018, Brown reportedly signed with the Illinois Bulldogs of the American Basketball Association (ABA), a semi-professional league in the United States. [13] Brown did not play in the ABA for the Bulldogs and in late 2019 joined a team in China's Wildball League. [14]
In March 2019, Brown was shot five times outside a store in the South Side of Chicago. [15] After the shooting, Brown's father started his own ABA team, the Chicago Angels. In his first game back after recovery, Brown posted a 31-point, 11-assist performance as the Angels defeated the Libertyville Vipers 149–110. [14] He later played with the Angels when the team joined the Pro Basketball Association in 2021. Brown also played for the Chicago Ballers of the Premier Basketball League in 2022, reaching the championship game.
Brown signed with the Ensenada Lobos of the Mexican Circuito de Baloncesto del Pacífico (CIBAPAC) ahead of the 2022 CIBAPAC season. [16]
Brown's favorite basketball player was Kobe Bryant, and his favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers. [17]
The American Basketball Association (ABA) is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that was founded in 1999.
Neal F. Simeon Career Academy, locally known simply as Simeon, is a public four-year vocational high school located in the Chatham area on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Simeon is a part of the Chicago Public Schools district. Opened in 1949, The school is named for African-American Chicago Public Schools educator and administrator Neal Ferdinand Simeon.
Jabari Ali Parker is an American professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, after one season of playing for Duke University. He played four seasons for the Bucks. Then, he played with 5 different teams over the course of 4 more NBA seasons. Parker was a standout high school athlete, helping his team win four straight Illinois state championships for Simeon Career Academy, and was named the National High School Player of the Year by Gatorade and McDonald's. In his freshman year for the 2013–14 Duke Blue Devils, he was named a consensus first-team All-American, the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, and the runner-up for the John R. Wooden Award.
Jahlil Obika Okafor is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga ACB. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 Duke national championship team. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Cliff Alexander is an American professional basketball player for Beirut Club of the Lebanese Basketball League (LBL). He completed his freshman season at the University of Kansas for the Jayhawks' on their 2014–15 team. He declared himself eligible for the 2015 NBA draft but was undrafted. He played one season for the Portland Trail Blazers and earned a second year of NBA service with the Brooklyn Nets.
Lonzo Anderson Ball is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, he played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors before the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2018.
LaMelo LaFrance Ball is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft. Ball was voted the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2021 and named an NBA All-Star the following season in 2022.
LiAngelo Robert Ball is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. Ball played for Chino Hills High School in California, where he won a state championship and achieved national success as a junior with his brothers Lonzo and LaMelo, who are both current NBA guards. A three-star recruit and UCLA signee, he decided to forgo college basketball after being suspended for shoplifting in China before the 2017–18 season. In turn, Ball signed with Lithuanian professional team Prienai. He later played in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league founded by his father, before joining the G League at the end of 2019–20. He was briefly signed to the Detroit Pistons in late 2020, but was waived prior to the start of the 2020–21 season. Ball joined the Greensboro Swarm in 2021.
The Junior Basketball Association (JBA) was an American basketball league that intended to be an alternative to the NCAA by allowing high school and junior college players to immediately play professionally. The league was first announced in December 2017 by LaVar Ball and was said to be fully funded by Ball's sports apparel company, Big Baller Brand. The JBA existed for just one season in 2018, featuring eight teams from major US cities.
Gregory Floyd Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). He played for three different schools at the high school level, emerging as a four-star recruit and one of the top-ranked prospects in Nevada while at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. Despite receiving several NCAA Division I offers, he was considered academically ineligible after his grades plummeted due to the death of his sister, continuing his career at Antelope Valley College before moving to the JBA.
The Chicago Ballers were a basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The 2018 JBA season was the only season of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), an American men's professional basketball league. The JBA was designed as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), allowing high school and junior college players to immediately play professionally. The season began on June 21 and concluded with the JBA Finals on August 12, 2018. After the season concluded, the JBA selected many of its top players to take part in what was originally a 28-game international season against teams from various countries in Europe and Asia. However, an incident in Lithuania lead to a shortening of the event, with teams dropping out of matches and Asian teams cancelling their matches for late 2018 and early 2019 altogether.
Jerell Dwayne Springer is an American basketball player for BC Kavkasia of the Georgia A League. Standing 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and weighing 180 pounds (81.6 kg), he was a top prospect in Nevada at the high school level, attending Shadow Ridge and Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. Although his senior season at the latter school was beset by eligibility issues, he was a three-star recruit and committed to play college basketball for Southern Utah. However, he chose to not enroll and later decided to join the JBA.
The Seattle Ballers were a basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Harrison Joseph Rieger is an American professional basketball player for Brujos Izalca of the Liga Superior de Baloncesto de El Salvador. He competed for Moorestown High School and Camden County College. In 2018, he joined the Chicago Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association
Curtis Melvin Hollis is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for JBC. He played one season for Hutchinson Community College. In 2018, he played for the Houston Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
Deon Jay Lyle is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Cloud CC Thunderbirds and the UTSA Roadrunners. In 2018, he played for the Chicago Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
Cole Hinton Anthony is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 185 pounds, he plays the point guard position.
Nimari Keith Burnett is an American college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Alabama Crimson Tide.
JaMichael Morgan is an American professional basketball player who last played for KB Peja of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. He competed for Blue Valley Northwest High School and Link Year Prep. In 2018, he joined the Seattle Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association