Boston Celtics
“There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing going on with the Boston organization with JB.”
Jaylen Brown during the Celtics’ playoff loss to the 76ers. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
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Jaylen Brown has been outspoken about some of his frustrations in the aftermath of the Celtics first-round loss to the 76ers.
He accused officials of targeting him and having an agenda during the postseason. His comments earned him a $50,000 fine from the league.
Brown said he wished the Celtics trusted the style that they played during the regular-season more than the version that was seen in the Philadelphia series.
He called Joel Embiid out for flopping while also admitting that Boston had no answer for the 7-foot-tall, 280-pound star.
Could there be issues bubbling under the surface that Brown didn’t mention on his livestream or in postgame press conferences?
During a recent episode of the podcast “Cousins,” Tracy McGrady said he has been hearing that Brown has some issues with the Celtics organization.
“I think his frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don’t have the details too,” McGrady said. “There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing going on with the Boston organization with J.B.
“So, I think part of [it] with him was like, ‘I showed you guys more as a basketball player,’ not only just what I did on the basketball court, but also the leadership I displayed with this team. You saw that with us not having our best player in [Jayson Tatum]. You’ve seen a different side of what I’m able to bring to the game of basketball.”
Brown said this season was his favorite of the 10 years he has played in the NBA. His decade-long career includes an NBA Championship and a Finals MVP nod in 2024.
But with Tatum out, the team turned to Brown as the No. 1 scoring option this year and he delivered one of his best seasons as a Celtic. Boston won 56 games, earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, and Brown played his way into the MVP discussion.
In the end, the Celtics didn’t do enough to beat the 76ers. Although the Celtics outpaced their preseason projections, losing in the first round of the playoffs remains a difficult thing to deal with.
On Wednesday, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters Brown has not expressed any frustrations with him. Stevens said the pair spoke recently and that the interaction was nothing but positive.
Brown has spent his entire decade-long career in Boston and is under contract through 2029.
This season, he made livestream broadcasts a part of his media brand, offering his opinions and analysis on matters on and off the court.
There have been humorous moments, such as him pretending to call LeBron James for advice on how to manage his hairline. There have also been moments of frustration where he made his feelings known about certain issues.
“I think there was a little bit of frustration on J.B.’s part. Rightfully so,” McGrady said. “I felt like he’s been targeted this year. He has a right to feel that way. If you watch some of the games and some of the calls that have been called on him versus what we see from other guys, I stand with him on that.”
“Do I agree with him going to do that right after the game? It’s a different age, man, with how these guys communicate. They have these platforms. They can go on and voice their opinions and views of what they have seen, what they just went through. So to me, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a part of the society that we’re living in.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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