Kwame Brown Net Worth, NBA Career, Legal/Financial Troubles
Kwame Brown is an American former basketball player with a net worth of $4 million. He is best recognized for his role as a player on the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played alongside Kobe Bryant. Throughout his career, Brown also played for several other NBA teams, including the Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers. Over his career, Kwame earned approximately $100 million from salaries and endorsements. However, he faced significant financial difficulties later in his career, including a lawsuit against his financial advisors at Merrill Lynch, claiming they misappropriated $17.4 million from his accounts.
Early Life/High School Career
Kwame Brown was born on March 10, 1982, in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended Glynn Academy in Georgia, where he set impressive records: 1,235 rebounds and 605 blocked shots. During high school, Brown was often regarded as the “best high school player” in his class, competing against notable players like Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry.
He was named “High School Player of the Year” in Georgia during his senior year and completed his high school career as the all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker at Glynn Academy, finishing second in scoring with 1,539 points. His achievements led to his selection for the 2001 McDonald’s All-American Team.
NBA Career
Kwame Brown’s outstanding high school performance led to what some consider an “underachieving” NBA career. The Washington Wizards, under the ownership of basketball legend Michael Jordan, selected him as the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Brown famously told Wizards coach Doug Collins, “If you draft me, you’ll never regret it.”His rookie season was filled with hype but marred by challenges, as he averaged only 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Throughout his career, Kwame Brown moved among several teams, including the Wizards, Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, Warriors, and 76ers. His third year marked a peak in his performance; he recorded career highs of 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. For his entire career, Brown averaged 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game before becoming a free agent after being waived by the 76ers in November 2013.
Post-NBA Career
After leaving the NBA, Kwame Brown signed with Interperformances player agency on August 22, 2016, aiming to make a comeback to basketball. In 2017, he was selected as the fifth overall pick in the inaugural draft of the BIG3 basketball league and played for the 3 Headed Monsters, which reached the finals but lost to Trilogy with a score of 51–46.
Legal/Financial Troubles
Kwame Brown has encountered various legal and financial issues throughout his life. In 2007, he was arrested for interfering with an investigation and faced accusations of throwing a cake at a man in Hermosa Beach; however, those charges were eventually dropped. During his NBA career, Brown earned around $64 million in salary before taxes and fees and an additional $35 million from endorsements after taxes.
Unfortunately, a lawsuit filed in 2018 revealed that he claimed his financial advisors at Merrill Lynch had stolen $17.4 million from him through forged signatures that allowed unauthorized investments and stock trades. In March 2019, Brown was arrested by Georgia state police on charges of felony possession of edible marijuana products and misdemeanor possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.
