Jaylen Brown was repeatedly asked about his reputation as an intellectual basketball player
“Whoever has the ideal or the ideology of a ‘so-called basketball player,' I challenge them to come out and say what that is."
Does Jaylen Brown believe the tantalizing start to his NBA career has debunked the notion he’s “too smart” for basketball?
Several reporters wanted to know the answer before the Rising Stars game at the Staples Center Friday evening. Brown — who led all scorers with 35 points for Team USA — was asked multiple times during pregame media availability for his thoughts on a pre-draft scouting profile that stated he could be “too smart for the league.”
“It describes you as someone with an extremely intelligent and inquisitive nature that doesn’t fit the mold of a so-called basketball player,” a reporter relayed to the Celtics forward. “Would you agree with that?
“What is the so-called mold of a basketball player?” Brown calmly contested.
When the reporter said he’d have to ask the person who wrote the profile, Brown said, “I challenge whoever has the ideal or the ideology of a ‘so-called basketball player,’ I challenge them to come out and say what that is.”
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As a player who has made headlines for both his political commentary and his interests in chess and foreign languages, the 21-year-old isn’t fazed by the media hubbub surrounding his intellect. Brown — the third overall pick in the 2016 draft — knows he can compete on the court while maintaining his passions off it as well.
“I can hoop,” he said. “I can play. I’m only going to get better, in my opinion. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. Everything has its patience, but I’m completely devoted and focused to basketball.”
Brown’s role on the Celtics has certainly expanded over the past year — and his statistics reflect that ongoing development. His minute, rebound, and point averages have all increased since his rookie season. But that’s just the beginning, according to the aspiring All-Star. Brown says he’s confident his growth from this year to next year will be “even greater.”
“You have so much time in a day,” he said. “Everybody chooses to spend their 24 hours differently. I just choose to take advantage of every second I got of mine. Not only do I plan to continue to get better on the basketball court — and y’all are going to see that — but I’m also going to continue to do stuff off the court that I’m passionate about.”
While he continues to navigate that balance, Brown hopes the narrative that basketball players can only play basketball will evolve to a point where it no longer even exists.
“I think it’s time to move on from it. It’s time to move to a new generation — where not only can you have a job and do your job well, but also have interests outside that and have that be OK,” he said. “I think it’s time to move in that direction.”
