LeBron James isn’t buying the idea that Jaylen Brown is hard to figure out. In James’ view, the former Boston Celtics star is simply someone who carries himself differently than most people around him - and that difference is exactly why he gets labeled the wrong way.
James made the case on Friday’s return of his “Mind the Game” podcast with co-host Steve Nash, where he also discussed his move from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers and the new teammates around him. Once Brown came up, James leaned into a defense of the veteran forward, saying the issue isn’t Brown himself so much as the way people react to him.
“I just think anytime someone kind of moves to their own beat, it makes people uncomfortable,” James said. “He has his own voice.
He moves to the sound of his own beat. It makes people uncomfortable because it's not what everyone's accustomed to.
When it becomes misunderstood, then it becomes intimidating, and people look at it as like, 'I don't wanna be around that,' because they feel intimidated by it.
"Am I right? I don't know.
I'm gonna spend some time and get an opportunity to be around him even more. We've worked out three or four times this offseason.
We've been in communication because we're two of the guys on the team that's been through the foxhole and been through the wringer of what it takes from the moment we step on the court for training camp to the moment when we raise that Larry O'Brien Trophy. We know what it takes.
"It's been nothing but good interaction with JB, and we're gonna continue that."
Brown’s been dealing with that sort of scrutiny for a long time. The questions started before he ever played an NBA game, when an NBA assistant general manager told The Undefeated after Brown’s freshman season at California that his intelligence might intimidate teams. That executive also said Brown “doesn't fit the mold of a so-called basketball player.”
The criticism never really left. It flared again this offseason after Colin Cowherd said two people in the league described Brown’s intelligence as a “disease.” Cowherd also said Brown thinks he’s the “smartest guy in every room.”
Brown pushed back hard on that report with a blunt line of his own:
“No offense to everybody in sports, but the bar is f-ing low,” he said.
James’ comments offer a different read on the same traits that have followed Brown for years. And whatever people have said about him, Brown’s production has answered plenty of it. He’s entering his 11th NBA season as a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, Finals MVP and NBA champion.
Now he gets a new chapter in Philadelphia, where he’ll line up with James, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
In Other News...
ESPNs Celtics Rankings Just Fueled A New Jayson Tatum Debate
ESPNs latest top-100 ranking for the 2026-27 NBA season gave the Celtics a familiar kind of national attention, and not all of it was flattering. Boston landed four players on the list, with Derrick White coming in at 47th, Paul George at 67th and Payton Pritchard at 70th, while Jayson Tatum was slotted ninth in a survey compiled by seven experts. For a team that expects to stay in the leagues upper tier, the numbers were enough to spark the usual round of debates about where Bostons key pieces belong.
The Tatum placement is the one that will draw the most scrutiny, because once a ranking pushes him outside the games very top group, every comparison becomes part of the argument. The Celtics also have reason to feel there were a few noteworthy omissions and underratings elsewhere on the board, which only adds to the sense that ESPNs list is as much about stirring discussion as settling it. For Boston fans, its another reminder that even a strong showing in the rankings can leave plenty of room for disagreement. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Maine Closely
The Maine Celtics are shaping up as one of the more interesting watchpoints in the organization heading into the new season. Between the possibility of players on Exhibit 10 deals joining the mix and the addition of recent draft picks like Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, the roster could end up looking deeper than a typical G League group. For Boston fans, that makes Maine worth tracking not just as a development stop, but as a legitimate extension of the system.
Phil Presseys first season as a head coach only added to the intrigue. He guided Maine to 18 wins and a playoff berth last year, and the sense around the program is that his stock is rising along with the teams profile. With players like Amari Williams and Devin Carter also expected to play meaningful roles, Maine has the feel of a group that could produce both wins and useful answers for Boston, even if the biggest payoff still sits just out of view. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Got The Perfect Celtics Bulletin Board Material
ESPNs early look at the 2026-27 NBA landscape put Paul George all the way down at No. 67, a placement that feels like the kind of thing a veteran star notices and files away. For the Celtics, it is the sort of outside noise that matters in a very specific way, because George has spent enough time around the league to know when a ranking reads more like skepticism than evaluation.
The case against the number is straightforward enough: George has shown in the playoffs that he still has the skill set and the shot-making to tilt a series, and the argument is that he remains capable of playing at an All-Star level. Whether that becomes motivation or just another talking point is the unresolved part, but for Boston and everyone else in the East, a player of Georges caliber being treated like a mid-tier name is the kind of bulletin-board material that tends to travel well. [Read more 🡒]