Exactly one month after the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, Brown was officially introduced as a 76er on Thursday afternoon.
It marked the first time Brown has formally addressed the media outside of his personal Twitch stream since Boston’s Game 7 loss to those same 76ers in the first round.
“It’s been a lot of emotions. It’s been a process. To be honest, I’m still processing to some degree,” Brown said. “Just, one, 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. I’ve been in Boston for 10 years. I’m 29 years old, so I was there a third of my life. I met some people, some lifelong friends, some people I’ll still be connected to. But you know, in anything, starting something new, it’s the end of something else. It’s just a process.”
Brown, who said he threw his phone across the room when he learned he had been traded, previously said on his Twitch stream that he felt disrespected by both the trade process and how the Celtics handled some of their conversations. On Thursday, however, he declined to expand on those comments.
“The whole process,” he said when asked what bothered him. “But to be honest, my mind is so focused on what’s in front of me. To be honest, I’m moving on. Maybe one day you share the details of kind of how everything transpired and all the moving parts that took place in this. 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.”
Selected with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Brown spent 10 seasons in Boston and developed into one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. During his tenure, he earned five All-Star selections, two All-NBA honors and, most notably, was named both Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP while helping lead the Celtics to Banner 18 in 2024.
The 29-year-old leaves Boston ranked 10th in franchise history with 13,474 regular-season points and seventh in playoff scoring. His 674 regular-season games played are the 15th-most in franchise history, while his 142 postseason appearances rank seventh.
When looking back on his time in Boston, he does so fondly.
“I look back at the city of Boston, and I’m grateful. I’ve been able to develop as a man, as a human being there. Spend a lot of time in the community. A lot of time at universities studying, learning,” Brown said. “A lot of my most important years, my most developmental years as a young man, I spent in Boston. I got there at 19. I didn’t do a four-year degree because I left early. So I got my degree in Boston; in a sense, I spent time there. So, the relationships are still there. The connection is still there. I’m looking forward to continuing my foundation work, as well as expanding it here to Philadelphia. I’m very grateful for my experience, my tenure in Boston. Ten years is a perfect cycle, a perfect number for completion. So we won a championship, and I have nothing but respect for the city of Boston. But now, it’s time to move forward a little bit.”
Much of Brown’s time in Boston was spent alongside Jayson Tatum. The two shared the court for nine seasons, during which no NBA team won more regular-season games (477) or playoff games (77). Together, they helped lead the Celtics to five Eastern Conference Finals appearances and an NBA championship.
“We won a championship together. Anybody that you win a championship with, you would think that’s what a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail,” Brown said. “Obviously, there are ups and downs in any type of relationship, for sure. But on my end, it’s nothing but respect, besides when he plays the Sixers. I hope he does well. But other than that, everything for me is just based in respect.”
When asked if the two have been able to talk since the trade, Brown said, “Not really.”
As Brown begins the next chapter of his career, expectations in Philadelphia are sky-high. The 76ers are among the favorites in the Eastern Conference after acquiring Brown, a move that paved the way for LeBron James to choose Philadelphia, joining Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, V.J. Edgecombe and Brown.
“On paper, we’re excellent. We have a lot of talent compared to other teams in the league,” Brown said. “But I’ve been around a long time. Long enough to know that just what you have on paper doesn’t really mean nothing. It can, if you put the work in. But also, if you allow distractions, if you allow the media to get into your locker room, if you allow certain things and the personalities don’t work, it can be a detriment. So I’m aware that it could go either way. It just takes the amount of work, the transparency, and the leadership can really guide this thing or not. So for me, I’m just focused on that.”
The Celtics and 76ers are set to meet four times in the regular season, with two additional preseason matchups.
