22- year-old Atlanta Hawks forward Charlie Brown Jr. is familiar with many of the jokes associated with the scantily haired young boy who can't connect on a football kick and it doesn't look like that will stop anytime soon, "I get teased everyday with these guys (his teammates). Still," he says with a chuckle. He's used to the jokes and, although his real name is Charles (after his father), he chooses to go by the nickname also bestowed upon the senior Charles. While the Philadelphia native smiles as he tells his nickname history, you probably won't catch his family calling him "Charlie" or "CB" (as some teammates call him). He's known as "Buddah" because of his size as a baby.
Growing up, Charlie's first brush with sports came at the young age of three when he began playing soccer. Since his dad played basketball at Overbrook High School in west Philadelphia and North Carolina A&T, it was destined that someone else in the family would play and when Charlie's older brother didn't choose that route, Junior went all in and found the sport came naturally. "I just gravitated towards it."
For those who don't know much about the young Philly native, he's the youngest of two, his brother is six years older. Charlie's big on family, when asked what he misses most about Philadelphia, without hesitation, he says that he misses his family. He's accustomed to seeing them often. "If I'm in Philly, I'm around my family 24/7, every day of the week. That family support means a lot to me."
Charlie went to Saint Joseph's University, the school of teammate DeAndre' Bembry and WNBA Champion Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics. Charlie is a big supporter of Natasha, "I went to a couple of games. We got a good connection." Although Charlie wasn't in school at the same time as Natasha, he beams with pride when talking about seeing her win the championship. "That's amazing. What?!" He exclaims with a huge smile, "I'm so happy for her and what she's accomplished. It's just amazing."
Charlie describes himself as "an all-around player" who loves the game and can play both sides of the ball well. As a two-way player, he will split up his time between the Hawks and the College Park Skyhawks. He's already met 2-Chainz and toured the new Gateway Center Arena. Having lived in Atlanta just a short time, Charlie recognizes the richness of Atlanta's busy scene, commenting on how there's so much to do in the city. "It's way different than Philly. I love it. You get every vibe down here, it's different...There's good music down here, good people. Southern hospitality is really a thing." Focused and eager, Charlie Brown Jr. is excited to be a part of what the Hawks and Skyhawks are building.
Growing up, Charlie's first brush with sports came at the young age of three when he began playing soccer. Since his dad played basketball at Overbrook High School in west Philadelphia and North Carolina A&T, it was destined that someone else in the family would play and when Charlie's older brother didn't choose that route, Junior went all in and found the sport came naturally. "I just gravitated towards it."
For those who don't know much about the young Philly native, he's the youngest of two, his brother is six years older. Charlie's big on family, when asked what he misses most about Philadelphia, without hesitation, he says that he misses his family. He's accustomed to seeing them often. "If I'm in Philly, I'm around my family 24/7, every day of the week. That family support means a lot to me."
Charlie went to Saint Joseph's University, the school of teammate DeAndre' Bembry and WNBA Champion Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics. Charlie is a big supporter of Natasha, "I went to a couple of games. We got a good connection." Although Charlie wasn't in school at the same time as Natasha, he beams with pride when talking about seeing her win the championship. "That's amazing. What?!" He exclaims with a huge smile, "I'm so happy for her and what she's accomplished. It's just amazing."
Charlie describes himself as "an all-around player" who loves the game and can play both sides of the ball well. As a two-way player, he will split up his time between the Hawks and the College Park Skyhawks. He's already met 2-Chainz and toured the new Gateway Center Arena. Having lived in Atlanta just a short time, Charlie recognizes the richness of Atlanta's busy scene, commenting on how there's so much to do in the city. "It's way different than Philly. I love it. You get every vibe down here, it's different...There's good music down here, good people. Southern hospitality is really a thing." Focused and eager, Charlie Brown Jr. is excited to be a part of what the Hawks and Skyhawks are building.