Jaylen Brown is a player who has dealt with a lot of criticism throughout his life. One of the biggest occurred before he ever stepped foot into the NBA.
Back in high school, Brown was told that he would end up in jail within five years by a teacher of his. Brown related this message back in 2014, in a Tweet:
“My teacher said she will look me up in the Cobb county jail in 5 years .. Wow.”
My teacher said she will look me up in the Cobb county jail in 5 years .. Wow
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) April 28, 2014
It’s safe to say, that Brown defied the prediction given by his teacher. Not only is he a professional basketball player, but he soared to the pinnacle of basketball success as an NBA Champion and Finals MVP.
Brown attended Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. This was where one of his teachers made a crazy statement about his future. Even though he was shocked at first, Brown didn’t allow these negative comments to get him down.
“You don’t really forget instances like that,” Brown said. “You use it as fuel and you move on.”
As Brown would soon discover, making the NBA would not end the criticism. In fact, all of the negative talk aimed at Brown would only grow louder.
Brown Has Faced His Criticism Head On
Jaylen Brown’s journey to NBA stardom was not without its challenges. When Boston selected Brown third overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, Celtics fans were seen shoving their hands in their face, as they were clearly not happy with the pick.
A Draft watch party for the Celtics season ticket holders booed when Brown was selected. It wasn’t just fans who were upset with the Celtics selection. A newspaper, the Washington Post, wrote an article with the headline: “Celtics selected one potential bust after another at 2016 NBA Draft.”
Things got worse for Brown, as the Celtics coaching staff didn’t believe in him during the 2018-19 season, moving him to the bench at one point. Fans constantly mock Brown’s game, claiming he has no left hand.
These same fans criticized Brown’s record-setting contract, which was $304 million over five years. Most believed Brown wasn’t deserving of such a contract, as he hadn’t won a major award at the time of signing the new contract.
One of Brown’s critics of his signing the historic contract was none other than NBA legend, Rick Barry.
“That’s just hard for me to believe,” Barry said. “His average in the playoffs for them is 18.5 points a game. I mean, 18.5 points a game. And he’s going to make $69 million in the last year of his contract. But 18.5 points a game — that’s nothing! Seriously.”
Rick Barry is NOT a fan of Jaylen Brown’s new contract. 😳👀 pic.twitter.com/Q0NAYOUymA
— Joy De’Angela (@joydeangela) August 11, 2023
Brown proved Barry and all of his doubters wrong this postseason. First, Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award, as he helped Boston reach the NBA Finals. In the Finals, Dallas Mavericks’ head coach, Jason Kidd, gave Brown high praise.
“Jaylen is their best player,” Kidd said. “Just looking at what he does defensively. He picked up Luka [Doncic] full court. He got to the free-throw line. He did everything, and that’s what your best player does.”
Brown proved Kidd right as he won the Finals MVP, helping the Celtics win their 18th NBA title, which is a record. Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Brown is enjoying the good life right now and he even forgives his old teacher.
“Sometimes because the education system is poor, especially in Georgia, sometimes teachers have too many kids and not enough help,” Brown said. “I’m not blaming the one teacher.”
This shows the maturity of Brown and it’s extremely honorable. What players have to deal with on a daily basis is unimaginable. It’s worse to have a teacher demean a student, but sometimes, that kid grows up to become an NBA champion.
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