LeBron James turned up for Jaylen Brown’s 30th birthday celebration, and the moment quickly made the rounds online.
In a now-viral video from the party, James is seen hugging Brown as the two joined the celebration. Brown recently marked his 30th birthday with several teammates in attendance, James included.
The pair also sit at the center of a loaded free-agent class for the Philadelphia 76ers, a group that also features Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
James has already been public about the respect he has for Brown. On a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast, he said Brown is often judged for being different in the way he carries himself.
“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 ‘I don't wanna be around that,' because they feel intimidated by it.”
He also talked about how their connection has grown, noting that they’ve already spent time together in workouts this offseason.
“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 ringer 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 and James will make their debut as members of the 76ers on opening night, when they face the defending champion New York Knicks.
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