Everything we learned from Jaylen Brown’s first stream since being traded to the Sixers
Known for his social media presence in recent years, Brown took to his stream to read his statement, speak directly to fans and explain a few behind-the-scenes details.
The Jaylen Brown trade was a shock to everyone... including Jaylen Brown.
The newest 76ers star finally spoke about the deal that sent him from the Boston Celtics to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Known for his social media presence in recent years, Brown took to his stream to read his statement, speak directly to fans and explain a few behind-the-scenes details.
Here are a few things we learned from Brown’s first public appearance since the blockbuster deal.
VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey reached out
It’s customary for players who join a new team to receive phone calls from their future teammates. So it wasn’t a shock that a few members of the Sixers reached out to Brown in the aftermath of the deal. While he was likely contacted by more members of the organization, he returned calls on stream from star guards VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey.
“Guys hitting me so we ready to get to work,” Brown said after a brief call with Edgecombe.
Maxey spoke to Brown with his typical high energy and enthusiasm. He grew more excited when he learned that he was live on stream, greeting the chat and proclaiming that he would pull up for a later recording. They ended the call talking basketball.
“You know I’m locked in, man. Holla at me. I’m in the gym whenever,” Maxey said.
“Aight, bet, we gone get in the gym,” Brown said.
Brown’s keycard no longer works in Boston
Brown has played for one franchise for the last 10 years so this experience is all new to him. So new that he wanted to make sure the trade was real after reports surfaced that he was dealt to Philly.
Brown revealed that he drove to the Celtics facility and tried to use his keycard. It did not work.
“I went up to the facility, and my key card got rejected,” Brown said. “Damn, I just wanted to see if it was real. They packed me up, bro.”
Brown’s experience has been compared to a viral video of former NFL safety Jamal Adams, whose keycard didn’t work at the Jets facility after he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.
Joining the Sixers will be an adjustment
The rivalry between Boston and Philly is real, and the hatred goes both ways.
Brown explained that it will be an adjustment joining the hated rival of his former team. He admitted that the Celtics programmed him to dislike Philly.
“For the last 10 years, I’ve been programmed to hate Philadelphia, from the history of the rivalry to the playoff battles, The Process,” Brown said, “like I’ve been programmed to be like [expletive] The Process. It’s funny now, I gotta reverse engineer.”
Brown is not a fan of the media’s portrayal of him
The Brown trade rumors unearthed the underbelly of media narratives and projections about Brown’s play to some extent, and revealed how harmful labels can be attached to a player.
Brown addressed a number of media members he believes have slighted him, calling out ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, Fox broadcaster Colin Cowherd and ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks by name.
Marks shared on SiriusXM NBA Radio that an anonymous source told him they believed Brown was the “seventh-best player on a team,” which didn’t make the most sense after Brown willed Boston to the postseason last year and won an NBA title only two years ago.
“They use ‘anonymous sources’ to hide behind things they actually feel, or to hide behind things that are actually bigotry,” Brown said, referring to talk that he thinks he is the smartest person in the room. “‘It’s not me, it’s my anonymous source’ but they don’t see the amount of damage that can do ... It’s my character. Critique my performance all you want, but the line gets crossed.”
