Kwame Brown is not happy with his draft position in the BIG3 Draft. And he is coming for Charles Oakley for passing on him during Sunday’s Draft.
Kwame Brown’s claim to fame in the basketball world is his selection as the No. 1 pick in the 2001 Draft. It is not so much that he was the top overall pick, but that he completely flamed out. In his 12-year NBA career, he was really nothing more than an also-ran role player. He never reached his potential.
In steps the BIG3, Ice Cube’s summer three-on-three basketball tournament. This is Brown’s second chance. A second draft to prove himself and a second chance to play. Except, Brown did not go with the top pick. He was not even the top forward taken in the draft. He went fifth, and Brown is not happy about it.
According to Alysha Tsuji of USA TODAY, Brown is coming for Charles Oakley and Stephen Jackson for passing on him during Sunday’s BIG3 Draft:
KWAME BROWN says he's coming for Charles Oakley and Stephen Jackson because they didn't pick him. #BIG3draft
— Alysha Tsuji (@AlyshaTsuji) April 30, 2017
Oakley is the coach and Jackson is the captain for the Killer 3s. They had the third pick in the draft and took Reggie Evans. Brown slipped to No. 5, where he was selected by Gary Payton’s 3 Headed Monsters. Former North Carolina star Rashad McCants went with the top overall pick. Andre Owens, Reggie Evans and Xavier Silas all went before Brown in Sunday’s Draft.
Brown certainly had a more successful career than everyone that went ahead of him short of Evans, who carved out a role as a rugged defender and garbage man on the glass. So he may have a legitimate gripe.
But as Steve Dolan of the New York Knicks learned — and just about every NBA power forward from the 1990s — you do not pick a fight with Oakley. Especially since Oakley may be planning not only to coach, but also to play. Brown may have called his shot a bit too much.
Brown may have called his shot a bit too much in calling out Oakley. Oakley can still get down when push comes to shove.
Next: 5 reasons the LA Clippers need to blow it up
And it just might when Brown takes the court against Oakley and Oakley’s team this summer in the Big3. Brown will get his chance to prove himself again.