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Kwame Brown
Kwame Brown cropped.jpg
Brown with the Detroit Pistons in 2009
Personal information
Born (1982-03-10) March 10, 1982 (age 43)
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
High school Glynn Academy
(Brunswick, Georgia)
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 2001 / Round: 1st / Pick: 1st overall pick
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Pro career 2001–2013
Career history
2001–2005 Washington Wizards
2005–2008 Los Angeles Lakers
2008 Memphis Grizzlies
2008–2010 Detroit Pistons
2010–2011 Charlotte Bobcats
2011–2012 Golden State Warriors
2012–2013 Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team Parade All-American (2001)
  • McDonald's All-American (2001)
  • Mr. Georgia Basketball (2001)
Career statistics
Points 4,035 (6.6 ppg)
Rebounds 3,333 (5.5 rpg)
Assists 554 (0.9 apg)

Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kwame was the very first player to be chosen number one overall in the NBA draft right after finishing high school. He was picked by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft. Throughout his career, he also played for teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons.

High School Basketball Star

Kwame Brown was known as one of the best high school basketball players in his age group. He played for Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Georgia. As a senior, he was named the high school player of the year in Georgia.

Kwame set school records at Glynn Academy. He became the school's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. He also finished second in total points scored. In 2001, he was part of the McDonald's All-American Team. During his senior year, he averaged over 20 points and 13 rebounds per game.

Playing in the NBA

Washington Wizards (2001–2005)

After high school, Kwame decided to go straight to the NBA draft. The Washington Wizards chose him as the first overall pick in 2001. This was a big deal because he was the first player ever picked first overall directly from high school.

In his first year, Kwame was still learning the ropes. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. The Wizards believed in his talent. In his second year, he played more and improved his stats. By his third season, he was averaging 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He even had a game where he scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds!

Los Angeles Lakers (2005–2008)

In 2005, Kwame was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Some fans were unsure about this trade. When he first played against his old team, the Washington Wizards, the crowd booed him. However, Kwame soon became an important player for the Lakers.

When the Lakers' main center got injured, Kwame stepped up. He became the starting center and played very well. His points and rebounds went up, showing his potential. He helped the Lakers in their playoff games. He continued to be a key player for the Lakers until he was traded again.

Memphis Grizzlies (2008)

In February 2008, Kwame was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He played a short time with them. After the season, the Grizzlies decided not to sign him to a new contract. This made him a free agent.

Detroit Pistons (2008–2010)

Kwame then signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Pistons in July 2008. He played for the Pistons for two seasons.

Charlotte Bobcats (2010–2011)

In August 2010, Kwame signed a one-year deal with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Golden State Warriors (2011–2012)

He then joined the Golden State Warriors in December 2011, signing a one-year contract.

Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2013)

In March 2012, Kwame was part of a trade that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, he never played a game for the Bucks. In July 2012, he signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was released by the 76ers in November 2013.

After the NBA

After his NBA career, Kwame Brown continued to play basketball. In 2017, he was picked fifth overall in the first draft of the BIG3 basketball league. He played for the team 3 Headed Monsters. His team made it to the finals but did not win the championship.

In 2021, Kwame started making videos on YouTube. He talked about how he felt the media had treated his career unfairly. His videos became very popular online.

Personal Life

Kwame Brown has family members who also played in the NBA. His cousin, Jabari Smith, played in the league. Jabari Smith's son, Jabari Smith Jr., also became an NBA player.

Kwame has three daughters.

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 Washington 57 3 14.3 .387 .000 .707 3.5 .8 .3 .5 4.5
2002–03 Washington 80 20 22.2 .446 .000 .668 5.3 .7 .6 1.0 7.4
2003–04 Washington 74 57 30.3 .489 .500 .683 7.4 1.5 .9 .7 10.9
2004–05 Washington 42 14 21.6 .460 .000 .574 4.9 .9 .6 .4 7.0
2005–06 L.A. Lakers 72 49 27.5 .526 .000 .545 6.6 1.0 .4 .6 7.4
2006–07 L.A. Lakers 41 28 27.6 .591 .000 .440 6.0 1.8 1.0 1.2 8.4
2007–08 L.A. Lakers 23 14 22.1 .515 .000 .406 5.7 1.2 .7 .8 5.7
2007–08 Memphis 15 1 13.6 .487 .000 .412 3.8 1.1 .4 .3 3.5
2008–09 Detroit 58 30 17.2 .533 .000 .516 5.0 .6 .4 .4 4.2
2009–10 Detroit 48 1 13.8 .500 .000 .337 3.7 .5 .3 .3 3.3
2010–11 Charlotte 66 50 26.0 .517 .000 .589 6.8 .7 .4 .6 7.9
2011–12 Golden State 9 3 20.8 .525 .000 .441 6.3 .4 .9 .0 6.3
2012–13 Philadelphia 22 11 12.2 .459 .000 .368 3.4 .4 .3 .5 1.9
Career 607 281 22.1 .492 .111 .570 5.5 .9 .5 .6 6.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005 Washington 3 0 20.0 .385 .000 .556 5.0 1.0 .0 .7 5.0
2006 L.A. Lakers 7 7 32.1 .523 .000 .710 6.6 1.0 .3 .9 12.9
2007 L.A. Lakers 5 5 26.6 .528 .000 .556 5.6 .2 .2 .8 8.6
2009 Detroit 3 0 16.0 .375 .000 .750 5.0 .0 .0 1.0 3.0
Career 18 12 25.9 .500 .000 .660 5.8 .6 .2 .8 8.7

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kwame Brown para niños

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