A No. 1 overall draft pick out of high school who never lived up to expectations, Kwame Brown played parts of three seasons with the Lakers after being acquired in a four-player trade with the Washington Wizards in August 2005. He was a backup during most of his tenure in Los Angeles, but started 49 games during the 2005-06 season after center Chris Mihm suffered a season-ending ankle injury. He played his best games with the Lakers during a first-round playoff loss to Phoenix, averaging nearly 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Brown was pegged to take over the starting center spot heading into the 2006-07 season, but an ankle injury forced him to sit out nearly the entire first half of the season.
Brown made his way back into the starting lineup after 19-year-old center Andrew Bynum went out because of a knee injury, but failed to recapture the offensive flair that made him a standout during the playoffs. He struggled with turnovers during another first-round playoff loss to Phoenix and was repeatedly booed by Lakers fans. He continued to play poorly as a reserve during the 2007-08 season and was traded to Memphis on February 1, 2008, as part of a seven-player deal that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers.