LOS ANGELES — Jaylen Brown reminisced with LeBron James during All-Star break festivities last weekend. Playing on the same team with the future Hall of Famer, Brown spoke about his first start in the NBA, facing James and the Cavaliers back on Nov. 3, 2016.
Brown had a breakout performance, scoring 19 points in a Celtics loss. Brown revealed James’ message from that night: “You’re going to be an All-Star one day. You’re going to be a great player.” Brown said he spoke with James about that moment during All-Star weekend.
Nearly a decade later, James was back praising Brown. This time, he had some striking comments about Brown’s MVP candidacy.
“JB is playing great basketball,” James said. “This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about. Nobody gave them a shot to start the season. He’s averaging just under 30 (points per game)? It’s a popularity contest sometimes.”
Brown finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists Sunday in the Celtics’ blowout win over the Lakers. The C’s were never threatened by the Lakers in the second half, winning their eighth game in the last nine tries. Boston is now 37-19 on the season as it enjoys life as one of the best teams in the East.
Brown is a huge part of that success, enjoying a breakout season when it comes to his scoring totals. He’s been at the top of the opposing scouting report on a nightly basis, and he’s unleashed a new level of shotmaking this year. He’s a huge reason why the Celtics have surpassed every preseason expectation, playing like an East contender.
Despite all that, Brown hasn’t seen his name pop up in many MVP discussions. The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham have been the main names drawing attention. Brown pointed out where he believes he’s one of the best players in the league.
“I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world,” Brown said. “I play both ends of the court night to night. I’m available, which is hard to do. I’m a leader. I help lead my team, empower my team to come out and play confidently. Stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner.”
James said his relationship with Brown has always been “respectful.” He joked that he had an issue with what Brown said about his son, Bronny James, at his rookie Summer League. Brown was caught saying he wasn’t sure if Bronny would be a future pro, but later clarified those comments. James didn’t sound too hung up on it now.
It’s clear Brown is turning heads across the league with his play. He’s gotten the individual accolades, namely the 2024 East Finals and 2024 NBA Finals MVP awards. But Brown hasn’t picked up too much of the regular-season love throughout his career. The tune is starting to change for Brown amid a strong year leading the Celtics near the top of the East.
“I think he just used the motivation of a lot of people saying they’re going to have a down year because obviously (Jayson Tatum) being out,” James said. “Them losing Jrue (Holiday). Al (Horford) leaves. (Kristaps) Porzingis leaves. Their whole championship team pretty much was revamped. Use that as motivation to keep them afloat.”
