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Kwame Brown (born March 10, 1982 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a professional basketball player who plays at power forward for the Washington Wizards of the NBA.
Brown was one of the most spectacular high school players in his class. Brown finished his high school career at the Glynn Academy (GA) as the school's all-time leading rebounder (1,235) and shot-blocker (605); he also finished all-time second as a scorer. He was also named to the 2001 McDonaldÂ’s All-American Team. As a result, he became a hot rookie prospect amongst both college and NBA scouts.
Originally signing a letter of intent to play for the University of Florida, he later declared for the 2001 NBA Draft. The Wizards decided to use their first overall pick on him, becoming the first team to ever select a high-school prospect with the first overall pick. Additionally, the expectations upon Brown were increased by the fact that Michael Jordan, acclaimed as the greatest basketball player ever, had chosen him.
Perhaps as a result of hype and high expectations, BrownÂ’s rookie season was marred with a lack of maturity as well as criticism from both the media and Michael Jordan. Disappointed by the poor performance of both Brown and the team overall, Jordan resigned from his post as the Wizards' president of basketball operations to play for the team. In his rookie year, Brown averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and was widely known as a draft bust.
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. However, Brown only improved slightly, 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 demonstrated his great potential during a game against the Sacramento Kings, during which he scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
Now entering his fourth season in the NBA, a contract year for him, Brown must prove that he can be a star player for his team. Although he has shown bits of what he is capable of, he still lacks consistency and his skills are still relatively raw. Unless he shows great improvement, Brown may very well go down as the biggest NBA Draft bust in history.
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