Kwame Brown Says ‘It Was Better Being a Bust’ Than Being LeBron James

There are takes, and then there are takes. And Kwame Brown offered the latter while appearing on The Pivot Podcast one week ago, saying he preferred his career to the one LeBron James has had.

“I think it was better. Being a bust is better,” Brown said (55:35). “LeBron can’t do what I can do. They take pictures everywhere he go. I was a bust—ain’t nobody taking pictures of me everywhere I went.”

You can see the full interview below:

In Brown’s defense, there is undoubtedly a level of stress and complication that accompanies being a superstar like James. There isn’t much anonymity or normalcy for a global icon.

The 40-year-old Brown was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft and played 12 seasons in the league, averaging 6.6 points per game in his career. But he never lived up to the hype that accompanied being the top overall pick.

It sounds as though Brown has peace with that, however. At the very least, he isn’t interested in the sort of celebrity that players like James have to manage.