Background and career
Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State University. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 25th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for eight seasons, and won two championships, with the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Los Angeles Lakers. He was known for his sensational athleticism and as one of the great leapers in the NBA.
Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, where his teammates included fellow 2006 draftee Dee Brown. In 2003, he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Brown was listed as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 3 player in the nation in 2003. Brown played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. He was second-team All-Big Ten as a junior and an All-Big Ten Defensive selection.
Brown was drafted in the first round with the 25th pick of the 2006 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Appearing in only 23 games (five starts) in his debut season, he showed promise, scoring in double figures twice (10 points vs. New York on November 29 and 14 vs. Toronto on 3/3), but was hampered by an injury to his shin. Brown was assigned to the NBA Development League's Albuquerque Thunderbirds on March 2, 2007, but was recalled by the Cavaliers a day later. In his sole game as a Thunderbird, Brown scored 14 points with four rebounds and six assists. Brown returned to the NBA Development League, this time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, on January 11, 2008. In four games as a Viper, He averaged 23.5 points, including a 37-point performance against the Dakota Wizards on January 16. He was recalled by the Cavaliers on January 17. Through 2007–08's All-Star break, Brown played in 15 games during the season (starting four games), averaging 7.0 points per game.
On February 21, 2008, Brown was traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team deal between the Bulls, the Cavaliers, and the Sonics. The Sonics received Cavs forward Ira Newble, Cavs forward Donyell Marshall, and Bulls forward Adrian Griffin. The Cavs received Bulls center Ben Wallace, Bulls forward Joe Smith, the Bulls' 2009 second round pick (who turned out to be Danny Green), Sonics forward Wally Szczerbiak, and Sonics guard Delonte West. While the Bulls received Brown, Cavs forward Drew Gooden, Cavs guard Larry Hughes, and Cavs forward Cedric Simmons.
On August 6, 2008, Brown was signed to the Charlotte Bobcats to a one-year contract worth the minimum NBA salary of $800,000. He would average only 4.8 points in limited action with the Bobcats.
On February 7, 2009, Brown was traded, along with Adam Morrison, to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vladimir Radmanović. Brown's playing time with the Lakers was initially limited. Towards the end of the season, Brown experienced an upswing of playtime. In the final five games of the season, Brown played for an average of 16.4 minutes. With those minutes, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Brown's increased playtime carried on to the playoffs. In the opening game in the first round match-up against the Jazz, Brown played 22 minutes. He had nine points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. He finished the series averaging 17.4 minutes, 7.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and one steal per game. On July 6, 2009, Brown agreed to return to the Lakers for two years and $4.2 million. It was announced on January 18, 2010, that he was selected to compete in the Sprite Slam Dunk Competition in Dallas at the 2010 All-Star weekend. On the same day, Brown led the Lakers with 22 points in their 98–92 win against the Orlando Magic. Brown participated in the dunk contest on February 13, 2010, but did not advance beyond the first round.
