Kwame Brown

Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Selected by the Washington Wizards 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, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors, 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.

Brown was consistently rated as the "best high school player" in his class, which also included high school standouts Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.

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

Brown finished his high school career at the historic Glynn Academy (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.

Brown's 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 Academy produced a 24–7 record and reached the GHSA semifinals.

Originally signing a letter of intent to play for the University of Florida, he later declared for the 2001 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards, 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).

In a game against the Sacramento Kings, he 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, other teammates, and his coach Eddie Jordan.

On August 2, 2005, Brown and Laron Profit were traded to the Lakers in exchange for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins.

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) 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 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.