The 25 Greatest Sixth Men Of All Time
13. Fred Brown, Seattle SuperSonics
13.3 PPG, 48.3 FG%, 39.1 3P% (after 1979-80) in 6 seasons as 6th Man
Accolades: 1X NBA Champion (1979)
Before Stephen Curry, Ray Allen or Reggie Miller, there was Downtown Freddie Brown.
Brown’s high school nickname was the perfect fit for his game as he was one of the first players to display unlimited range on the basketball court. In the first season that the NBA instituted the three-point line, Brown led the league at a .443 clip from deep.
Known as a prolific scorer early in his career, Brown was moved to the sixth man role when his former teammate, Lenny Wilkens, took over as the team’s head coach and paired guards Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams in the starting backcourt.
This lineup change resulted in two consecutive Finals appearances for the Sonics, including the franchise’s first and only championship in 1979.
Brown was deemed “Instant Offense” by Wilkens for his ability to fill it up in short order from long range off of the bench. He would put together prolific scoring nights as the sixth man with an array of jumpers, floaters and up-and-under moves.
Having played all 13 seasons of his career with the SuperSonics, Brown was a valued veteran on the team — so much so that he was named the team captain for the 1978-79 championship team as the sixth man.
While several of his franchise records have since been broken, Downtown Freddie Brown still holds the Seattle SuperSonics records for points in a game (58), points in a playoff game (tied with Ray Allen at 45) and steals in a game (tied with Gus Williams at 10).
Although the SuperSonics were sadly moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, Fred Brown will forever be remembered as one of the franchise’s greatest players.
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