Is Drafting Kwame Brown The One Blemish On Michael Jordan's NBA Bio?

Jordan also denied rumors that he was coming out of retirement with Charles Barkley; advised Barkley to keep his job at Turner Network Television. Jordan would ultimately come out of retirement that season anyway, without Barkley.

December 20, 2010; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee (34) passes the ball around Charlotte Bobcats center Kwame Brown (54) in the first half at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 108-75. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

On June 27, 2001, Michael Jordan made Kwame Brown the first high school player drafted No. 1 in the NBA,

Brown played 12 seasons, but never reached the stardom that Jordan predicted, Brown only played a four seasons with the Washington Wizards before becoming a journeyman. He averaged 6.6 points in 607 games.

"Obviously you can see that he Is a well educated kid. He's done a lot in terms of his basketball capabilities," Jordan said on draft night in an interview with John Thompson on TNT. "He certainly has the skills. We entertained a lot of possibilities, but none could change our mind in terms of what this kid could do long term for the Washington Wizards."

23 YEARS AGO TODAY, Michael Jordan selected Kwame Brown with the 1st pick in the NBA Draft.

Here's MJ explaining why he picked Kwame and addressing rumors that he and Charles Barkley are going to come out of retirement and play for the Wizards pic.twitter.com/525EDI7J2P

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 27, 2024

Brown then ended up playing three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished his career with five stops on different teams in six seasons. Jordan's legacy took a hit because Brown only averaged more than 10 points once, which was with the Wizards in 2003-04.

Jordan is often considered the greatest player in NBA history but this night was full of losses for him.

"This kid is gonna fit the bill," Jordan continued in the interview. "I can only tell you that we have a very good kid coming to Washington, D,C, and we might not need another one."

Again, this was perhaps the only black eye of Jordan's career.

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Scott Salomon is contributor to Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at scottsalomon67@gmail.com.