When LeBron James was declared ineligible for the rest of his high school career the other day, most of us struggled to comprehend what it was like to be LeBron James. How could a high school kid possibly be good enough that the NBA would bypass hundreds of older, more experienced college players and pick him No. 1? How could a high school kid possibly be so famous that he could pack arenas all over the country, single-handedly force his team's games to be telecast nationally and on pay-per-view, and still have to worry about biology lab and English papers? How could a high school kid possibly be in a position where adults would swoon over him, and offer him gifts almost beyond every other high school kid's reach -- free shirts, free sneakers, free trips and God only knows what else -- all for a photo of him or a word with him? Who could remotely know what it's like to be LeBron James?
Well, Kwame Brown.
Granted, when Kwame was a high school senior he wasn't as famous as LeBron James is now. He wasn't as celebrated on magazine covers or as scrutinized by the media. But Kwame Brown is the only high school kid ever to be drafted No. 1 overall by the NBA, by the Washington Wizards in 2001. So if anyone has a clue what LeBron is going through, it's Kwame.
"In terms of media exposure, I wasn't close," Brown said. "But in terms of the things you can get -- the cars and the other stuff -- I was in the same boat. People offered me cars, shirts, everything. People said to me, 'Here, you hold this money, and give it back to me later.' I said no.
"I had lots of people coming at me. But we had a rule: You have to talk to my mom or to my mentor [John Williams, a family friend and minister]. By the time it got to me, it was over. My mom and my mentor could sniff out everything."
It's not that Kwame was intrinsically different than LeBron -- Kwame wanted all the same toys as LeBron. "I could have easily walked to the other side of the gate," Kwame said. "At 18, if I was by myself, I don't think I'd have said no to a Hummer. I'd have taken the jerseys. But I had someone to tell me no. LeBron needed someone to say, 'no.' "
Let me not paint Kwame as the Dalai Lama. He didn't deter gratification; he simply delayed it. "I got a big truck, too, a GM Denali [worth about $45,000]. I still have it. But I waited until school was out to get it. I mean, look, you're already the center of attention. If you drive up to school in a car that represents somebody else's yearly income, people will assume you're another greedy, self-centered athlete. They're already jealous of you, so you want to be as humble as possible. I brought it the last day of school. People ask me what advice I'd give LeBron, and it's just this: Keep a low profile."
Kwame thinks the famous acquisition of the $50,000 Hummer H2 has hurt LeBron: "His mom meant well. But everyone knew that in her economic situation she couldn't afford it. So now he has more of a bull's-eye on his back. And it got brighter. It put 'Hit me!' on it, instead of the little red dot." Kwame shrugged. "All he had to do was be patient, wait until the season was over."
Kwame didn't have that big bull's-eye on his back, partially because he didn't declare his intention to go pro until well after his high school season was over; until that point Kwame planned on attending the University of Florida.
LeBron has never given any indication college is in his plans; his aim was always the NBA. "Everybody knew where he was going last year," Kwame said with a laugh.
For all intents and purposes LeBron James has been a pro since he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated last year. His high school has made money off him. ESPN has made money off him. The whole sports business (from magazines to newspapers to yodelers like me) has made money off him. Many say it's unfair that the only person who hasn't made any money off LeBron James yet is LeBron James.
It's altogether reasonable that LeBron thinks he has a right to such piddling things as some throwback jerseys. "He knows he's filling every seat in the stands. He knows they're coming to see him," Kwame Brown said. "He thinks it's his right to get the big car, the cell phone, the clothes. I felt the same way. Why can't I get a jersey? They're making thousands off me."
But Kwame knew he couldn't take the jersey because the rules -- fair or unfair -- said that he couldn't. "You know when something's not right, when you're getting something nobody else is getting -- whether it's a shirt, some tickets, a ride in a limo, extra meal money," Kwame said. "LeBron knew right from wrong. I knew it. He knew it. You go back to the basic rules: Nothing in life is free. He's been used by a lot of people. Look, my school made money off me. The difference between us is that he probably didn't have anyone helping him. I had my mom and my mentor saying, 'This will cost you in the long run.' "
I asked Kwame if he thought it was tough being LeBron James, and he smiled. "It was tough being Kwame Brown, it's outrageously tough being LeBron. It's 10 times tougher to be LeBron! Everybody's trying to use you. Everybody else is lining their pockets because of you. But if you take one piece of bubblegum, you're in trouble. How do you say no to a Hummer when your boys say, 'C'mon, LeBron, we'll go cruising the block. We'll get all sort of girls with this car' ?" How could LeBron James, the best young basketball player in the entire world, resist that?
It's odd that someone at the tender age of 20 could have so much to tell someone at the more tender age of 18. But that's the world of professional sports. Two years and two million miles worth of NBA charters teach you almost everything you need to know. "I don't think he knew what was coming," Kwame Brown said of LeBron James. "I don't think he knows what's yet to come. They say when the grass gets cut, the snakes will show. LeBron will see. These people aren't helping him. They're just taking from him."
