Brighton, Massachusetts — A freshly shaven Jaylen Brown sat at the podium with a broad smile on his face, preparing to address reporters. Celtics Media day availability.
The first question he received was about being snubbed by the U.S. Olympic team, a well-documented story highlighted by a phone call made to teammate Derrick White on his behalf.
“Damn, question number one?” Brown said, laughing. “Can I just warm up a little bit?”
There was truth in Brown's playful indignation. After a summer spent celebrating basketball's highest honor, the first thing everyone wanted to know was whether he I didn't achieve.
But his laughter also revealed something else: Brown's usual onstage nervousness had eased, at least for that day.
He smiled and answered the question as intended.
“I'm ready, I'm excited to be back,” he said. “The past is the past, but I'm ready to get to it, lead the team, build team chemistry, make sure I don't skip a step and get myself in shape for another year. I'm very motivated, for obvious reasons, and I'm going to get to it.”
This isn't the first time Jaylen Brown has been asked about his Olympic scorn heard around the world. Speaking to reporters at Summer League in July, he said: I dispelled all thoughts He acknowledged there were issues between him and White but also acknowledged that he was fired up by being cut and that he felt shoe maker Nike had something to do with the decision.
Months later, sitting at the podium at the Auerbach Center, Brown seemed at peace with himself, even saying watching his Celtics teammates at the Olympics was one of the highlights of his summer.
When asked his reaction to Wyck Grousbeck selling the team The Celtics' most veteran player“That's just like calling somebody old,” Brown again quipped, but ultimately he simply wants a smooth transition, adding that he appreciates the relationship he has with the current ownership group.
Jaylen Brown, who rarely breaks character during press conferences, made a joke.
after that, Interview with NBC Sports BostonHe criticized one of the NBA teams that sits opposite in wins.
“No disrespect to them the night we played, Detroit Pistons “We're going to play a team that's struggled the last year or two, and we're going to play Peyton and have him shoot 30 points,” Brown said. “We're going to play Sam and have him shoot 10 3-pointers tonight, and we're still going to win the game.”
So why this new playful attitude?
“I don't want to take it for granted, but we won,” he said with a smile, describing the highly anticipated experience as “bliss.”
“My heart wasn't broken this summer.”
After securing Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Final MVPthe Larry O'Brien Trophy and three-time All-Star was ready for the best summer of his life. ESPY Awards, Rap Song,and New shoe lineHis travels around the world were well documented, including to Spain, Brazil, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
I'm having a great summer, I won't lie.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) August 22, 2024
And then there was the offseason charity work, which Brown called the highlight of his summer. 7uice Foundation Started partnership with Jrue Holiday BostonJason Kidd AucklandBoth were aimed at providing grants to underrepresented entrepreneurs as part of his pursuit. black wall street.
“To be able to do something with Jay Kidd, he just came off of being in the NBA Finals,” Brown said, “I think it's really awesome that he was able to put that aside and put the community first.”
When we asked Jaylen Brown about the highlights of his summer, he mentioned playing at XChange in Boston and Oakland.
“To be able to do something with Jason Kidd, he had just been in the NBA Finals, and for him to be able to put that aside and put the community first was huge.” pic.twitter.com/z1vNvunH6n
— Noah Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) September 24, 2024
And none of the side conquests, Brown emphasized, got in the way of the main objective.
“I say this every year, but this year I feel the best I've ever felt and I've worked the hardest I've ever worked,” Brown said. “I've been able to balance it with really pushing myself in between traveling.”
Because no matter how relaxed Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Celtics seemed at media day, they made one thing clear: They won't be satisfied with just one championship.
“We weren't just looking to get one win,” Jayson Tatum said.
Like Brown, Tatum also used his press conference to answer questions about his Olympic controversy – the two DNPs that dominated national media coverage all summer – and, like Brown, he made it clear he wasn't satisfied despite all the Celtics accomplished last year.
For Tatum, this summer NBA2K Cover, Becoming a writer,starring Netflix Documentariesand landing Sports Illustrated coverHe has received numerous awards, including:
“Everybody that I looked up to growing up won at least one championship,” Tatum says matter-of-factly. “Now it's just a conversation about how great you want to be, what place or hierarchy you want to be mentioned at when it's all over, and understanding what your opportunity is to make the most of that time.”
As they seek a second title, they don't appear too worried about disappointing the defending champions (though Don't call me that (right into Joe Mazzulla's face).
“We've got a great group of guys with a great mentality, so I don't think it's going to be that hard to maintain that consistency,” Brown said. “We just have to continue to emphasize holding each other accountable. Hopefully, we'll be healthy for the majority of the year, but I'm excited. We've got a great group of guys, great teamwork, great locker room, so we'll just take it one day at a time and see where it goes from there. But it's been an honor to be with these guys for so many years, so I'm looking forward to this journey for the guys that I'll be sharing that locker room with.”
Mazzulla made it clear that in his eyes, starting the season as the reigning champions makes no difference.
“Zero. I don't feel any difference,” Mazzulla said. “If I was lucky enough to do it again, if I felt any difference, I don't think I'd want to do it again.”
Brown echoed that sentiment: “The coin may have been flipped, but the mentality is the same, and more than anything, a second NBA title is on our minds.”
“Last year, before the loss, that was a low point for me. When I lost Game 7 and fell short, I felt like it was my fault. Now it's like we won, it's the same situation but the exact opposite, right?
“But looking back, it feels the same, because it can go either way. When you're at the bottom, you can go either way. When you're at the top, you can just keep going or go down. It's really weird, but it feels the same. So I'm just excited to start the journey again. I wish we had two more weeks.” [in the offseason]”But I'm not dissatisfied. I want to finish every season the same way I finished last year. So let's get started.”
