PHILADELPHIA. — Jaylen Brown got the call that Boston — the franchise that drafted him as a teenager and where he blossomed into an NBA Finals MVP and champion — had traded him and heaved his phone across the room.
No, it wasn’t a prank call.
Brown was indeed headed to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was set to form an All-Star trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Little did he know LeBron James was on his way to Philly, too.
Brown has slowly settled into his new team, all while admitting he’s still processing the details of his messy breakup with the Celtics.
If the 29-year-old Brown lived in a perfect world, he’d still wear Celtics green this season, and for the rest of his career, if he could, rather than get traded.
He’s ready to move on and try with perhaps the best starting five in the NBA to win a championship with the Sixers.
“I’m still processing to some degree,» Brown said Thursday. “Just, the excitement of coming to a new city, a new place, new expectations, new energy. Then also leaving somewhere that you’ve been for a very, very long time.”
Brown, the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft, formed a potent 1-2 partnership on the court with Jayson Tatum that resulted in the 2024 NBA championship. Their off-court relationship was dissected throughout NBA media circles and the topic of are they-or-aren’t they friends could have strained their effectiveness in Boston.
Brown, who still has three seasons and about $182 million left on what was then a record, five-year, $304 million supermax deal he signed in 2023, was respectful of Tatum, but noted they had “not really” talked since the trade.
“We won a championship together,» Brown said. “Anybody that you win a championship with, you think that’s what a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail. Obviously, there’s ups and downs in any type of relationship, for sure.”
Brown has spoken in previous years about how he has felt disrespected by both media and people around the league for what he has achieved during his career.
Though he took Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals honors during the Celtics’ most recent championship run, he was left off the U.S. 2024 Paris Olympics roster.
Then, last season, with Tatum playing in just 16 games during the regular season while he rehabbed from a ruptured Achilles tendon, Brown averaged career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1) while finishing sixth in MVP voting.
The Celtics promptly dangled him as trade bait to Milwaukee in a failed bid to land Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Brown said the “whole process” of how his career in Boston ended bothered him.
“Maybe one day, we’ll share the details of how everything transpired and all the moving parts that took place in this,” Brown said. «Obviously, it’s a lot of speculation; I feel no need to chime in on it because I’m focused on what’s in front of me.”
The 76ers and new team president Mike Gansey swooped in and landed Brown in exchange for Paul George and a slew of draft picks.
Brown alone was a significant upgrade and made the 76ers, who haven’t won an NBA title since 1983, a serious contender to win the East.
Little did Brown know his presence was enough to help sway four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion James, leading to the free agent signing last month with the Sixers.
“I thought maybe after Jaylen, we had a better chance,” Gansey said. “I guess that was all we needed.”
How’s this for a starting five: two league MVPs in Embiid and James, a five-time All-Star in Brown, a 2026 All-Star starter in Maxey and third in last season’s NBA rookie of the year voting in VJ Edgecombe.
Expectations this season are sky high.
Brown faced much of the same pressures to win in Boston, dealing with a hefty media corps and trying to please an overzealous fanbase. He thrived.
“I think at different points in my career, how I handled pressure would probably look different at this point,” Brown said. “I probably ignore a lot of it, you know, just water under the bridge. My relationship with the media hasn’t always been the best. That’s part of the reason why I started streaming (on Twitch) and stuff like that.”
Brown — deeply involved in Boston community initiatives — skipped holding the traditional introductory press conference at the Sixers’ New Jersey complex or South Philadelphia home arena. Instead, he chose a recreation center where he was greeted by screeching, joyous children in Brown T-shirts, high-fived the mascot and a DJ pumped tunes until he and other team personnel arrived.
“As I’m still getting to learn this community, I just wanted to make it clear that this was an important pillar in my life, community and the foundation,» Brown said. «As I’m getting started on the journey here in Philadelphia, the introduction, the first impression is everything. I just wanted to let people know in Philadelphia that this is something that’s important to me.”
