Kwame Brown on Michael Jordan: "He thought that if he could get to the playoffs, he could win a championship"

Michael Jordan did not have a very successful stint with the Washington Wizards but had high hopes during his two-year stint there. According to former No. 1 pick Kwame Brown, Jordan thought that he could win his seventh NBA championship in Washington.

In an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Brown opened up about his tenure with the Wizards. He explained that then-head coach Doug Collins, along with MJ, didn't want to play young players. Jordan even thought about trading Brown to increase their chances of making the playoffs and winning the title.

​

"You had a coach in Doug Collins who didn't believe in playing young players, and Michael didn't either," Brown said (h/t HoopsHype). "Michael's last hoorah, he wanted to win a championship. He thought that if he could get to the playoffs, he could win a championship."

He added:

"I was meant to be traded. They wanted to trade me or Tyson Chandler to the Clippers for Elton Brand."

Kwame Brown was not traded, and he lasted longer with the Washington Wizards than Michael Jordan. Brown was dealt to the LA Lakers in 2005, while Jordan was fired as an executive after retiring from the NBA in 2003.

Brown would last 12 years in the league before retiring in 2012. He returned to play in the BIG3 in 2017. On the other hand, Jordan would become the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in 2010. The two reunited that same year when Brown signed with the then-Bobcats as a free agent.

---

Did Michael Jordan really make Kwame Brown cry?

Kwame Brown of the Washington Wizards

There were reports back in the day that Michael Jordan was very tough on Kwame Brown during their time together with the Washington Wizards. It was one of the rumored reasons why Brown never reached his potential as a first-overall pick out of high school.

However, Brown has denied the rumors and claimed that Jordan never made him cry. He told Sports Illustrated back in 2017 that he never shed a tear when MJ went at him. He acknowledged that he got upset a lot at the time and reporters blew it out of proportion.

​

"Michael has never brought me to tears," Brown said. "Did he upset me a lot? Yeah. I mean, he’s a competitor."

He continued:

"I think it's much to do about nothing. So many people want to make up stories about Michael Jordan. He could have been the greatest guy in the world to me and they still would have made up something."

Watch: Shaquille O'Neal hilariously mocks Kenny Smith's terrible penalty kick on 'Inside the NBA'

​