"They gave up Kwame Brown!" is a quote Laker fans will always remember from Stephen A. Smith. Brown was famously dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in return for Pau Gasol back in 2008, and the Lakers then became champion competitors and won two championships in the next three years. Brown was so bad as a Laker that the fans would often cheer when he passed the ball, instead of trying to put it on the floor or shooting it.
Brown has been making the rounds through his youtube channel. Earlier this year he criticized Russell Westbrook in a tirade that ran the gamut from homophobic to downright preposterous.
Most recently, Brown took to his phone to criticize Anthony Davis. Davis and teammate Dwight Howard had a little scuffle during the Lakers' loss to the Phoenix Suns. Howard and Davis squashed whatever the issue was, but Brown decided to criticize the Lakers superstar Davis.
“I think Anthony Davis is a very talented player. I think he is an explosive offensive player… he’s a great talent. But Anthony Davis, my opinion is, you’re no leader. Because you called this man Dwight Howard your brother? Let me explain what you just did for your brother. Dwight Howard is a veteran in this league. OK? That should come with a little bit of respect. Dwight Howard played over 15 years now? You’re not running up on no god d–n rookie. You running up on a grown a– man. What I saw was a man trying to assert his leadership… but he did it like a boy. You don’t really know how to talk to people… The moment you’d walk up to me and you put your hand on my chest, hitting my chest. We ain’t talking about basketball no more.”
This is a very rich take from Brown, who not only could never lead any of his teams, and he could never even follow. As a Laker, he was perpetually out of rhythm. To criticize one of the premier big men in the league (and a top 75 player of all time) shows a pretty glaring lack of self-awareness. A glaring lack of awareness could also describe Brown's entire NBA career, so at least he's consistent, which is more than one could say about his basketball game.
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