Jaylen Brown has offered a humorous comparison for what it will feel like to face the Boston Celtics after spending the first 10 seasons of his NBA career with the franchise.
The Philadelphia 76ers forward will get his first opportunity to play against his former team on Saturday night, when Philadelphia visits Boston for a preseason matchup at TD Garden. Brown described the experience as similar to unexpectedly seeing a former partner in public.
“Like damn, we used to go together… And you just look at em like ‘dang’ and you just gotta go about your business,” Brown said.
Brown’s departure marks the end of a significant chapter in his career. Boston selected him with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and he developed from a promising young wing into one of the league’s leading scorers and a central figure in the Celtics’ championship push.
During his final season in Boston, Brown averaged a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 regular-season games. He shot 47.7% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range, earning his fourth All-Star selection and a place on the All-NBA Second Team while finishing sixth in MVP voting.
His production in the playoffs remained strong, as he averaged 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in seven appearances.
MORE FOR YOU
The Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers on July 6 in a blockbuster deal that sent Paul George and draft compensation to Boston. The move reshaped both teams and placed Brown in a new Eastern Conference rivalry against the organization where he spent a decade.
Philadelphia also made a major move by signing LeBron James, giving the 76ers a star pairing of Brown and the four-time NBA champion as they look to contend for a title.
Brown’s first meeting with Boston will be a preseason game, but the teams will have several more opportunities to face each other when the regular season begins.
The 76ers and Celtics are scheduled to meet again in Philadelphia on October 16 for their second preseason matchup. Their first regular-season meeting is set for November 10 in Philadelphia, followed by games in Boston on January 21 and March 7, with another matchup in Philadelphia on February 7.
Brown leaves Boston with a substantial résumé. He was an All-Star four times and helped the Celtics win the NBA championship in 2024, when he was named Finals MVP. He averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists during that postseason run.
Across 674 regular-season games with Boston, Brown averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. His rise from a young prospect to a franchise cornerstone made him one of the most recognizable players of the Celtics era.
