Jaylen Brown on Celtics future, NBA fine: 'I can play in Boston for the next 10 years'

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Brown began by reiterating that his heart remains in Boston and that he is committed to the Celtics for the foreseeable future. “I love Boston,” Brown said on his livestream. “If it was up to me, I could play in Boston for the next 10 years.” The comments came in response to NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady recently saying the five-time All-Star’s “frustration lies deeply within the (Celtics) organization.” On Wednesday morning, Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who coached Brown during his first five NBA seasons, reassured reporters that that was not the case. Stevens explained that he spoke with Brown on Monday and described the conversation as “nothing but positive.” “I hate that Brad even had to respond to this,” Brown said. “Like I said, me, Boston and Brad have a great relationship, and I can play in Boston for the next 10 years. I love Boston.” Brown then circled back to officiating, which drew much of his ire Sunday night. “I was just calling it based upon how I feel and what I see,” Brown said Wednesday night. “I think there’s been a growing frustration amongst players, chat, and I think some of them have even said and talked about it, that there’s an inconsistency between the regular season and the playoffs. “If it’s worth the fine f— it, but it needs to be addressed and talked about. There’s an inconsistency.” In his Sunday livestream, just after the Celtics 109-100 loss Saturday night, he notably called Joel Embiid a “flopper” and accused NBA referees of having “an agenda” against him and the Celtics. He was fined $50,000 by the NBA for his comments directed toward the officials. “Maybe because I spoke and was critical of refs in the regular season,” Brown said on Sunday. “So, they responded, ‘You’re gonna lead the playoffs in offensive fouls.’ That’s how that was, the response from the officiating crew. You could clearly tell. “And I’ve actually spoke to some refs, and they said it was an agenda going into each game. ‘So, anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it.’” Boston ranked last in free-throw attempts during the regular season and 14th out of 16 playoff teams in the first round. It was the latest of several fines Brown received this season for publicly criticizing officials. In January, the All-Star guard was fined after comments directed at referees following Boston’s 100-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Brown was fined $35,000 after calling out referee Curtis Blair by name, saying he and his crew were “terrible,” that “the inconsistency (in officiating) is crazy,” and that the Celtics dealt with “the same bulls—” every time they played a good team. Wednesday night, Brown doubled down on his belief that officiating inconsistency remains an issue across the league, a feeling he said is shared by players and visible to “fans watching it also.” And he is willing to pay another fine, should the NBA issue one, to continue voicing what he sees as flaws marring the game he has dedicated his life to. “You can fine me and continue to fine me, but it’s just like, I care about this s—,” Brown said. “I love the game of basketball. Damn, fine me for that.” Still, much of the early portion of Brown’s livestream focused on his pride in Boston’s season despite their first-round exit. Throughout Brown’s 10-year career, the Celtics have been a fixture in the second round and beyond. This season marked the first time he participated in a first-round elimination. Brown missed Boston’s 2020-21 first-round loss to the Brooklyn Nets because of a torn ligament in his left wrist. The 29-year-old has reached six conference finals, two NBA Finals and won a title in 2023-24, earning finals MVP honors. However, at the start of the 2025-26 season, Brown felt expectations around the franchise were noticeably lower. The Celtics appeared more vulnerable than in previous years. All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum was sidelined with an Achilles injury, and two cornerstone starters from Boston’s 2023-24 NBA championship team, Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday, were traded during the offseason. Before Brown’s comments on Wednesday, it would have been easy for people to infer that he wants his own team. That he wants to be the No. 1 option. That he found this season so special was largely because, for the first time in his career, he was placed into the leading role he believed he could have handled all along. Even after the Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history, Brown stood by his previous stance that this season was his favorite. “It was my favorite year of my basketball career,” Brown said on a Twitch stream the day after the Celtics were eliminated. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean Brown wanted to play elsewhere if staying in Boston meant ceding some of the spotlight to Jayson Tatum. Still, based on the tone of Brown’s comments, it was understandable that some high-profile people, including Bill Simmons, started wondering about the All-Star’s future ambitions. Handed the reins, Brown delivered. He averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game and led the Celtics to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Relative to the franchise’s recent standards, Boston underachieved by exiting in the first round the way it did. But Brown reminded viewers that, relative to preseason projections, the Celtics pushed well beyond what many believed was their ceiling. “I got to see it from a day-in, day-out basis, where the expectations for this team were to fail,” Brown said. “Expectations was the team to be nothing, just to give in and to quit. This team did the exact opposite. We fought every single day. We fought for everything.” Brown has made headlines and taken hits to his wallet by airing out his thoughts online as the NBA playoffs move on without the Celtics. But he said he is now ready to shift into offseason mode, even asking viewers what they would want to see from him this summer. It is unfamiliar territory for a player whose career has long revolved around deep playoff runs stretching into late May and June. Now, Brown will spend the postseason watching and dissecting it from home alongside everyone else. And when summer arrives, viewers may get the chance to see him up close and personal. “I wasn’t expecting to lose in the first round, so I’m stuck,” Brown admitted with a laugh. “I got a little extra time on my hands, so y’all let me know, and I might pull up to your city.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms