Ira Demon Brown (born August 3, 1982) is a Japanese-American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chiba Jets Funabashi of the Japanese B.League. He had also spent three years with the Hirachi/Shibuya Sunrockers, as well as two years with the Toyama Grouses during his career in Japan.
Brown grew up in Corsicana, Texas, in a three-bedroom house along with "roughly 15 relatives."[1][2] The house burned down in a fire, forcing him to relocate to another home, though he often stayed with friends.[1] When he was 14 years old, Brown moved in with his former youth baseball coach, Earl Mitchell, in Conroe, Texas.[1] He was eventually adopted by Mitchell.[1]
Brown began his college career at Phoenix College before transferring to Gonzaga in 2007.
In 2010, Brown earned league all-star honors as a member of the Coras de Tepic of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA).[3]
Brown played for Team A Few Good Men in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament. In two games, he averaged five points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game on 40 percent shooting. A Few Good Men made it to the Second Round before falling to Team Gael Force.[4]
He became a Japanese citizen after extensive language testing and a waiting period which took two years. As of 2018, he resides in Okinawa.[5]
He was a member of Japan's national basketball team at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran, where he recorded the most rebounds, steals and blocks for his team.[6]
He played 3x3 basketball for Japan in the 2021 Olympics.[1][2]
Brown was drafted in 2001 by the Kansas City Royals, and played in the minors for five years.[7]