The Boston Celtics recently took care of business against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road, defeating them 111-89. Jaylen Brown led the way with 32 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and he continues to lead the Celtics in a season where many thought they wouldn't be that good. For Brown, this shows all the hard work that he's put in, and it validates something that LeBron James told him when he was a rookie.
After the game, Brown shared a story of what James told him in his first start of his career.
“But when I first got into the league, my first start was against the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Brown said. “After the game, he came up to me and told me in my ear, ‘You’re going to be an All-Star one day. You’re going to be a great player.' And he also said, ‘You’re playing for a great coach—just keep your head up and keep doing what you’re doing.'
“That was my first start in the NBA—back in 2017, I think, or 2016. He told me that, so we talked about it at the All-Star Game. He smiled like, ‘Of course—I’m not surprised at anything you’re doing right now.' He was like: just keep proving people wrong, keep doing what you’ve got to do, keep leading your team, and people will take notice.”
Fast forward to now, and Brown is a multi-time All-Star, and this season, he's in MVP talks. He has so much more to accomplish as well, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him keep elevating in his career.
Brown also noted that he wouldn't tell everything that he and James talked about, and some suspect it may be about what he said about Bronny James during the Summer League last season. James spoke about his and Brown's relationship in his presser.
“Our relationship has been pretty respectful. Besides the s— he said about Bronny in Summer League. But other than that, we’ve been all right,” James said with a smile.
