Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who spent 12 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). Selected by the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. 1 overall pick to be chosen straight out of high school and the 16th player from high school to be drafted into the NBA. He also played for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, and Philadelphia 76ers. His performance as a first overall draft pick has led many analysts to label him as one of the biggest busts in NBA history.

High school

Brown was consistently rated as the "best high school player" in his class, which also included high school standouts

Eddy Curry Eddy Anthony Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Coming directly out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Chicago B ...

and

Tyson Chandler Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...

. He was the high school player of the year as a senior in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Brown finished his high school career at the historic

Glynn Academy Glynn Academy (GA) is an American public high school in Brunswick, Georgia, United States, enrolling 1,900 students in grades 9– 12. Along with Brunswick High School, it is one of two high schools in the Glynn County School System. Glynn Aca ...

(in Brunswick, Georgia) as the school's all-time leading rebounder (1,235) and shot-blocker (605), and also finished second all-time as a scorer (1,539 points). He was named to the 2001 McDonald's All-American Team. His senior averages were 20.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.8 blocks, 3 assists and 2 steals per game. While Brown was a senior, Glynn produced a 24–7 record and reached the Georgia State semifinals.

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2001–2005)

Originally signing a letter of intent to play for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, he later declared for the 2001 NBA draft. The

, under team president Michael Jordan, used their first overall pick on him. Following a pre-draft workout with the Wizards, it has been reported that Brown told then-Wizards coach Doug Collins, "If you draft me, you'll never regret it." Perhaps as a result of hype and high expectations, Brown's rookie season was marred by a lack of maturity and production on the court. In his rookie year, Brown averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. However, the Wizards believed in Brown's potential. In his second season as a professional, Brown saw more action in the league. He started 20 out of the 80 games he played and the total minutes he played doubled. Brown improved his numbers, posting averages of 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. In his third season, Brown continued to improve, posting career highs in both points (10.9) and rebounds (7.4). He also in a game against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

registered 30 points and 19 rebounds. After his first three years in Washington, Brown rejected a five-year, $30 million contract offer, electing instead to test the free agent market when his contract expired after the season. In his fourth season, Brown was limited to 42 games due to injuries. His highest-scoring game of the season was 19 points, compared to his season-high of 30 the year before, and he averaged 7.0 points per game. Late in the season, criticism increased; he feuded with

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...

, other teammates, and his coach

Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championship ...

Los Angeles Lakers (2005–2008)

On August 2, 2005, Brown and

Laron Profit Bronta Laron Profit (born August 5, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former professional basketball player. Early life and college Profit was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Because his stepfather James Truiett served i ...

were traded to the Lakers in exchange for

Caron Butler James Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During a 14-year career he played for the Miami ...

and

Chucky Atkins Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins (born August 14, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played for nine different NBA teams throughout his career. Basketball career Atkins played college basketball at the University of Sout ...

. This move was met with some controversy from fans who disliked Brown's reputation and his label as an "under-achiever." In the beginning of the season, he averaged just above 6 points and 6 rebounds. On December 26, 2005, he played his first game at the Washington Wizards' MCI Center (now known as

Capital One Arena Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. It has been largely considered to be a commercial success ...

) as a Laker. The sold-out crowd of 20,173 fans loudly booed him upon entering the game and whenever he touched the ball. In the second quarter, Brown was looking the other way when teammate

Sasha Vujačić Aleksander "Sasha" Vujačić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Вујачић; sl, Aleksander Saša Vujačič; often rendered in English as without diacritics; born March 8, 1984) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He ...

threw a pass his way. The ball bounced off his head and landed out of bounds, which was met with loud cheers from the crowd. Brown called the reception "weak" and stated that "they should be cheering that I'm gone." The Wizards won the game 94–91. When Lakers center Chris Mihm went down with a season-ending ankle injury on March 12, 2006, Brown took over the starting center position. During his stint as a center, he raised his averages from 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds to 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds and started every game for the Lakers in the playoffs. Brown became a central part of the Lakers seven-game series with the Phoenix Suns. Although they ended up losing the series, it had appeared that Kwame Brown's potential was beginning to show. The surprising consistency Brown showed while playing center prompted Phil Jackson to make Brown the starting center in the 2006–07 season. Brown was injured at the beginning of the season and Mihm was also out with injury for the whole season, so the starting job at center was given to the young

Andrew Bynum Andrew Bynum (born October 27, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After they selected him in the first roun ...

. After playing the majority of the minutes at center despite the bench role, he was given the starting job in early December. Brown again became injured in the 2007–08 season which allowed Bynum to start again at the center position where he flourished. However, when Bynum suffered a knee injury that appeared to jeopardize the Lakers' playoff chances, Brown regained his starting position.

Memphis Grizzlies (2008)

On February 1, 2008, Brown was traded along with

Javaris Crittenton Javaris Cortez Crittenton (born December 31, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. During his four year career, Crittenton played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards of the National Basketb ...

Aaron McKie Aaron Fitzgerald McKie (born October 2, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach for his alma mater Temple Un ...

, the draft rights to

Marc Gasol Marc Gasol Sáez (, ; born January 29, 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-Star. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of ...

, and the Lakers' 2008 and 2010 first-round draft picks for

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

and a second-round pick in 2010. On July 1, 2008, the Memphis Grizzlies chose not to sign Brown to a new contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Detroit Pistons (2008–2010)

On July 28, 2008,

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

reported that the

Pistons A piston is an engineering component of engines and pumps. Piston(s) may also refer to: Science and technology * Piston (optics) * Piston (subcellular structure) * Piston valve * Fire piston, an ancient device for kindling fire * Gas-operated ...

signed Brown to a two-year deal worth $8 million, with the second year a player option.

Charlotte Bobcats (2010–2011)

On August 23, 2010, Brown signed a one-year deal with the

Bobcats The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

Golden State Warriors (2011–2012)

On December 14, 2011, Brown signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the

Warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2013)

On March 13, 2012, Brown, along with

Monta Ellis Monta Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is a former American professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American and first-team ''Parade'' All-American. He entered the ...

and

Ekpe Udoh Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( ; born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and the Baylor Bears. In the ...

, was traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in exchange for

Andrew Bogut Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Buck ...

and

Stephen Jackson Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...

. Brown never played for the Bucks during the season. On July 20, 2012, Brown signed a two-year contract for nearly $6 million with the Philadelphia 76ers. After sustaining a right hamstring strain in September 2013, Brown was waived by the 76ers on November 20 before appearing in a game for them in the 2013–14 season.

Post-NBA career

In 2017, Brown was the fifth overall pick in the inaugural draft of the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

basketball league. In BIG3 Brown played for the 3 Headed Monsters, who made it to the finals and ended up losing to Trilogy 51–46. In 2021, Brown created numerous YouTube videos critiquing the assertion that he was a 'bust" as a first round draft pick, claiming that mainstream U.S. sports media unfairly targeted him for over twenty years, as well as negatively depicting black men, in general. The videos were created in response to negative comments about Brown's career from former NBA players

Matt Barnes Matt Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Barnes was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He ...

and

on a May 2021 episode of their podcast ''All the Smoke.'' Brown's response has led to a significant increase of social media attention, especially via YouTube and Instagram. Therefore, some journalists are now re-examining whether the "bust" label is legitimate.

Personal life

Brown's cousin

Jabari Smith Jabari Montsho Smith Sr. (born February 12, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last played with Pioneros de Quintana Roo in Mexico. Professional career After a college car ...

also played in the NBA. Smith's son, Jabari Smith Jr., also became an NBA player. In 2002, Brown's hometown girlfriend, Joselyn Vaughn, moved into his Virginia home. Together they had three daughters. In 2019, Brown sued for custody of the children.

Legal issues

In August 2003, Brown was arrested and charged with driving under intoxication near his hometown of Brunswick. In October 2007, Brown was arrested in Georgia and charged with

disorderly conduct Disorderly conduct is a crime in most jurisdictions in the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan. Typically, "disorderly conduct" makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to " disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain are ...

and interference with a law enforcement officer after an incident in which the driver of a car in which he was a passenger was arrested for driving drunk with a suspended license. Brown was arrested on March 31, 2019 by Georgia police and charged with felony possession of edible marijuana products and misdemeanor possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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, 80 , , 20 , , 22.2 , , .446 , , .000 , , .668 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 7.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 57 , , 30.3 , , .489 , , .500 , , .683 , , 7.4 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .7 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 42 , , 14 , , 21.6 , , .460 , , .000 , , .574 , , 4.9 , , .9 , , .6 , , .4 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 72 , , 49 , , 27.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , .545 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .6 , , 7.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 41 , , 28 , , 27.6 , , .591 , , .000 , , .440 , , 6.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 14 , , 22.1 , , .515 , , .000 , , .406 , , 5.7 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .8 , , 5.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 58 , , 30 , , 17.2 , , .533 , , .000 , , .516 , , 5.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 48 , , 1 , , 13.8 , , .500 , , .000 , , .337 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 66 , , 50 , , 26.0 , , .517 , , .000 , , .589 , , 6.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , .6 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 9 , , 3 , , 20.8 , , .525 , , .000 , , .441 , , 6.3 , , .4 , , .9 , , .0 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 22 , , 11 , , 12.2 , , .459 , , .000 , , .368 , , 3.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 607 , , 281 , , 22.1 , , .492 , , .111 , , .570 , , 5.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , .6 , , 6.6

Playoffs

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, 3 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .385 , , .000 , , .556 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .7 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

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, 7 , , 7 , , 32.1 , , .523 , , .000 , , .710 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .9 , , 12.9 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 26.6 , , .528 , , .000 , , .556 , , 5.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , .8 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , 2009 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .375 , , .000 , , .750 , , 5.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 18 , , 12 , , 25.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .660 , , 5.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , .8 , , 8.7

References

External links

NBA.com player profile

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Kwame 1982 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American YouTubers American media critics Basketball players from South Carolina Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Big3 players Centers (basketball) Commentary YouTubers Detroit Pistons players Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Grizzlies players National Basketball Association high school draftees Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Brunswick, Georgia Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina Washington Wizards draft picks Washington Wizards players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players