For Kevin Brown, distance is no object. Not looking directly at the basket is no impediment. And physical obstacles mean nothing. The East Bay man has developed a magical ability to get basketballs through hoops, with his back turned and with minimal effort.
Brown’s bizarre skill has to be seen to be believed—which is why he started an Instagram account called @hoopseyemade. The joy he and his two kids, Ian and Oliver, express every time he sinks another is totally infectious.
“Back in December, I was shooting hoops with my brother-in-law and I threw the ball from the other side of the court and it went in,” Brown tells KQED. “I decided to take it up a notch and try throwing it behind my back. Wouldn’t you know, I found my hidden talent! Now I pretty much keep a basketball in my car wherever I go and keep an eye out for new hoops.”
“I usually say ‘Kobe!’ when I shoot a hoop,” Brown explains. “I’m not really a fan, it was just a funny thing that my brother-in-law would always say when we were taking crazy shots. Now I can’t help but say it almost every time.”
When not throwing balls at hoops backwards, Brown is a photographer and drummer for local bands Jackal Fleece and Esses. “I am traveling to Europe with Esses in October,” Brown says, “and there are already some people eagerly awaiting my arrival, claiming they’re going to install a hoop on the stage, or saying that there’s a hoop on top of an old WWII bunker near their house that they want to take me to. So stay tuned for international HoopsEyeMade! Yes, this is my new life.”
Brown hasn’t played basketball on a team since he was 10 years old, and spends a maximum of 15 minutes playing a day, depending on which park he’s taking his children to. “It does make me happy that so many people have told me that watching the videos brings them joy and laughter,” Brown says. “That’s what we all need more of these days.”
