Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown is still processing his new situation.
Brown was drafted by the Boston Celtics and spent 10 years there. He was traded to the rival Sixers in a blockbuster trade in July. At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Brown talked about the transition but said he was looking forward to the new opportunity.
“It’s been a lot of emotions. It’s been a process, to be honest. I’m still processing to some degree just, you know, one the excitement of coming to a new city, new place, new expectations, new energy,” he said.
“Then also leaving somewhere that you’ve been for a very, very long time. Like 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 in starting something new, it’s an end of something else. So it’s just a process, just like everybody else has to deal with certain things. It’s no different. It’s just been public, so that’s the only difference.”
Brown was drafted by the Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. In his 10 years with the Celtics, he was a five-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Second Teamer, and an All-Rookie Second Teamer in 2017. He helped lead the Celtics to an NBA championship in 2024, winning MVP of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.
Boston then shopped him around, seeking four or five first-round picks in exchange for the superstar wing. The Celtics eventually decided on Philly, who offered veteran forward Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
Brown was mum on questions about the trade itself. He paid tribute to Boston, recounting how he spent the most developmental years of his life in the city, which took the place of his college experience and instead gave him a “degree in Boston.”
He also recounted all of the charity work he did for the community. He said that 10 years is “a perfect number for completion,” and while he was still connected to the city, it was time to move on.
He did talk about what happened immediately after. He said that Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey was the first to reach out to him; Maxey acknowledged that Brown had a lot going on, but he was glad to have him on the team.
Second-year shooting guard VJ Edgecombe reached out shortly afterward, as did veteran center Joel Embiid. He is currently in several text message group chats with his new teammates, including LeBron James, whom the team signed in free agency less than three weeks after Brown was traded.
With so many accomplished players at the top of the roster, the question is how to accommodate all those skills and egos. Brown was asked whose team it would become, but he shot down the notion right away.
“It doesn’t have to be anybody’s team. It just needs to be based in respect and work, and that’s kind of like my approach. I want to earn everybody’s respect and trust, which takes time. … But to win, you’ve got to be able to sacrifice,” he said.
“You’ve got to be able to have trust and communication. So, I want to come in transparent. I want to come in with my agenda on the table. … I want to win. And we can figure out how to respectfully move around each other. But it takes a level of time to develop and earn respect from each other.”
Brown said he was looking forward to learning from LeBron and the rest of his teammates. He is also looking forward to being a mentor for young Edgecombe. Brown recounted how he learned from veterans like Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker when he was a young player, absorbing their approach to the game and applying it to himself.
“I’m going to be in VJ’s all year to just learn and grow. He just turned 21, so he’s got a bright future. This could be a great opportunity for him to learn from a bunch of guys,” he said.
“And then also his talent level, he’s gonna carve out space for himself just because [of] his talent level alone. So, I’m excited for VJ, and I’m a fan. … I’m a fan from afar for sure.”
