For any Los Angeles Lakers fan, the name Kwame Brown invokes a lot of not-so-pleasant memories. The player was once touted to be the successor to the great Shaquille O’Neal. Instead, he ended up disappointing not only the fans but the organization too. He ended up becoming a journeyman and retired 13 seasons later as a backup. Nowadays, he spends time with his businesses and speaks on podcasts.
The former 1st overall pick straight out of high school was speaking on the podcast Swish Cultures. When talking about the NBA and its initiatives to bring about a narrative, he revealed:
I got tired of the puppeteering and them trying to make me say things that I don’t got nothing to do with. I was in Philadelphia, and I think Jason Collins was coming back. They were all excited that he was homosexual. It was a narrative, and they asked me to say something about it. I was like, ‘You don’t wanna hear what I gotta say because you are not gonna like it’.
Kwame Brown on Swish Cultures
Kwame Brown was clear that he was not going to do what the NBA and the Philadelphia 76ers wanted him to do. Especially, as it did not make sense to him to be a part of the narrative.
The backdrop of this was during the last days of Brown’s NBA career. He was with the Philadelphia 76ers at this point and was looking to return for a second season. However, this situation developing at the 76ers made him rethink his career.
He later claimed in that segment that he preferred to retire and be a businessman. Kwame Brown refused to advocate for Jason Collins after he publicly came out as gay. The NBA wanted to create a narrative of inclusivity, which didn’t sit well with the big man.
Kwame Brown and a forgettable NBA career
Kwame Brown entered the 2001 NBA draft after high school. As a player, he possessed physical attributes similar to Shaquille O’Neal. He was highly touted to be the player who could go up against O’Neal, who happened to be the most dominant player at the time. The Washington Wizards felt they had what they needed to take on the mighty Los Angeles Lakers.
But in his four years there, he did not start half the games and only once averaged a smidge more than 10 points. The team then traded him to the Lakers after O’Neal left for the Miami Heat. They felt Brown lacked development, which the Lakers thought they could fix. But purple and gold fans were skeptical.
Despite showing some consistency, the team eventually traded him away. Then came a series of stops which ultimately led to the Philadelphia 76ers. That’s when the Jason Collins situation unfolded, and the team waived him before he could start his second season. After that, he never got a call and retired. He is infamously known as one of the biggest busts in NBA history. A legacy he is still fighting to change.
