Sharon Brown has been honored with a third-place award in the 2026 PBWA Blumenthal Memorial Writing Contest. “LeBron Said It Out Loud. Memphis Felt Every Word” garnered recognition in the Columns category. The contest honors work by members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Brown’s column was a response to criticism of a Memphis hotel by NBA superstar LeBron James.
Among the judges’ comments: “This is truly a memorable column about an NBA city — Memphis — that keeps hearing it shouldn’t be an NBA city. I went back and read this entry multiple times, impressed by the prose and impassioned defense of a place that LeBron James suggests should be expunged from the NBA map. . . . Memphis is portrayed as an entertainment mecca, the site of exquisite blues performances on Beale Street, and the National Civil Rights Museum. . . . The writer depicts the franchise as a slice of civic pride, a source of self esteem, and essential to the region’s economy. . . . Beautifully done. Makes one want to give Memphis a closer look.”
Here’s a link to the column:
