On June 30, 1999, Brand was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft. On November 19, Brand scored 29 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots in the ninth game of his career, a 103-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was later named the most valuable player of the Rookie Challenge over All-Star Weekend. He ended the season with averages of 20.1 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis. Despite his personal success, Brand and the Bulls finished with the second worst record in the league at 17-65. Through much of the 2000–01 season, Brand was hailed as the linchpin of a possible new Chicago dynasty. On December 31, Brand scored a season high 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 86-75 win over the New Jersey Nets. Brand averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game; his 3.9 offensive rebounds per game were the second-best in the NBA. As a team however, again the Bulls struggled, finishing with an even worse record at 15-67. Los Angeles Clippers (2001–2008) After two successful seasons with the Bulls, Brand was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in June 2001 for Brian Skinner and the draft rights to Tyson Chandler. In 2002, Brand became the first Clipper since Danny Manning (in 1994) to be selected to the All-Star team. When Brand became a restricted free agent in 2003, the Miami Heat made an offer worth $82 million over six years. In what was an unprecedented move by team owner Donald Sterling, the Clippers matched Miami's offer and managed to keep Brand a Clipper. Prior to this, the biggest contract Sterling had approved to that point was a five-year, $15 million deal for Eric Piatkowski in 1998. Sterling had also refused to offer Brand a contract extension one year prior, when he was willing to accept less than the maximum. In the 2006 NBA season, Brand experienced a professional renaissance. He posted career-highs in points per game (24.7) and field-goal percentage (52.7), while leading the Clippers to a 47–35 record, their then-best record in team history, and good enough for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Brand was selected to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game and considered as a strong candidate for the 2006 NBA MVP. Brand