Jaylen Brown’s confession lays bare the brutal treatment NBA stars endure

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is gearing up for his 10th season in the league. On Friday via “Hoops Alerts,” on Instagram, Brown opened up to the brutal treatment he and fellow players endure.

"The pressure is crazy... if I have one bad game, it's like I should've never been an MVP, should've never been an All-Star... get him out of here, trade him.!"

In the 2024-25 season, Boston was the defending champion and expected to contend for a repeat. 2024 Finals MVP Brown battled knee issues from mid-February onward, which limited his mobility and shooting. He played 63 games, his lowest total in several years, and had one of his worst 3-point shooting seasons (32.4%).

Because of his injury and inconsistency, he got criticized by fans, the media and commentators. His perceived inability to be the “go-to” star, or be able to carry Boston without Jayson Tatum being fully healthy was also called out.

In 2024, Stephen A. Smith relayed a criticism from an unnamed NBA source. The source called out Brown’s “attitude” or “lack of likability.” That sparked public pushback from his mentor Isiah Thomas.

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Jaylen Brown’s status revealed by coach Joe Mazzulla

The pressure on Jaylen Brown to lead the Celtics without the injured Tatum is on. Boston begins the 2025-26 season with a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday and the fate of Brown, who exited their preseason game against Toronto on Wednesday with left hamstring tightness, was revealed by coach Joe Mazzulla on Friday, via Jay Kikg of “The Athletic.”

“Joe Mazzulla said Jaylen Brown was able to do everything but the live portion of practice today,” wrote The Athletic’s Jay King.

Jay King

@ByJayKing

Joe Mazzulla said Jaylen Brown was able to do everything but the live portion of practice today.

Brown reportedly played through a partially torn meniscus in his right knee during the end of the last regular season and the playoffs. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure (right knee debridement) during that offseason to address the issues in that knee. He averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last season.