Lakers fans could only be disappointed after the team was dealt an unsavory exit from the playoffs in the form of a sweep by the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
Perhaps no one was more let down than former No. 1 pick Kwame Brown, who recorded a fiery seven-minute video in which he eviscerated LeBron James over his performance in Game 4, particularly to do with his last-second shot which would have tied the game.
Brown ripped into James for failing to even get a shot off during the waning moments of Game 4’s loss, calling him a stat sheet-stuffer and questioning James’s caliber.
On the play in question, James attacked the basket but was double teamed by Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who was able to block the attempt as time expired.
“I have never seen a guy of your caliber, supposed caliber, you don’t even get a shot off?” Brown said. “You’re probably the best scorer in the game, you got all these points. But you were looking for a bailout, again.”
Brown indicated that both Richard Hamilton and even Gilbert Arenas would have gotten a shot off in the situation, and Kobe Bryant would have won the game for the Lakers.
“You can’t say that you’re great. You gotta do great things. That’s where greatness lies,” said Brown, who added that if he owned a James jersey, he’d be burning it in anger.
Brown was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 NBA draft by the Wizards. He featured in 606 games from ’01 to ’13, averaging 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. He’s often considered one of the biggest busts in NBA history, but that didn’t stop him from sounding off on James after the Lakers were bounced from the playoffs without much of a fight.
