The NBA draft is hope for teams that are in the middle of their rebuilding stage or have been struggling in the regular season. The top picks of the draft are promising assets for low-performing teams. Though sometimes the top picks don’t live up to the team’s expectations. Such was Kwame Brown, the first pick of the 2001 draft. Brown was an incredible prospect out of high school. He was also named to the McDonald’s All-American team.
After declaring for the draft, Kwame was drafted by the Washington Wizards. Right into his first season, Brown wasn’t the best player on the team. Kwame continued to improve gradually though he was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown’s first six seasons in the league were his best, but the 6’11 Center saw a major downfall. Kwame had a few playoff appearances as well, though his road to win all the way wasn’t so easy.
Did Kwame Brown ever win a championship?
Throughout his career, Brown only had 4 playoff appearances. In his fourth season, Kwame had shown quite some improvement. He played in his first postseason in 2005, where he averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds. Kwame maintained his performance, as in his next postseason appearance his averages were far better than his best regular season numbers. Kwame put up 13 points and 6 rebounds in the 2006 playoffs, playing for the Lakers. Brown’s best performance was with his first team, the Wizards, where he put up 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Brown played in the following postseason as well, though the Lakers would get eliminated in the first round. In 2009, Kwame made his final postseason appearance with the Pistons. Brown would only play three games, as Detroit would face an early exit. In his career, Kwame never got to see the second round of the postseason, as the center had 0 championships by the end of his career. Though he did have some pretty decent highlights to his career. Brown posted his career high on 17th March 2004 against the Sacramento Kings. He scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the game.
The 2003-04 season was the best of his career. Following his time with the Lakers, Brown would go on to play for the Grizzles, the Pistons, the Bobcats, Golden State, and the Sixers. His career averages are 6 points and 5 rebounds. Considering his numbers to be incredibly low, fans saw Brown as a bust. The first overall pick retired following the 2012-13 season after a 12-year career and without a championship ring on his finger.