After the Boston Celtics had an ugly finish to their season, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs after being up three games to one, Jaylen Brown has been at the top of the headlines in the league’s news outlets due to his rant on Twitch following the C’s collapse.

Despite the Celtics’ underwhelming playoff performance, JB claims this season was his favorite ever, which the internet took as shade at Jayson Tatum for his absence for most of the year.

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Moreover, some interpret Jaylen’s comments as growing frustration with being in constant trade talks for years, while also being regarded as Tatum’s sidekick his whole career and often being the victim of the NBA’s politics, which has resulted in numerous backlashes from both the media and fans throughout the league.

“Jaylen’s been the most disrespected superstar in our league,” Paul Pierce said on the recent episode of his podcast. “He doesn’t make the Olympic team after winning Finals MVP. I’m just sayin’, think about all of this. This is in his head.”

“He was like, ‘This was one of my favorite seasons,’ because he had a chance to vindicate himself. He established himself as yeah, I am like that. Y’all don’t get to see it, and now I showed y’all for a whole season I’m really that dude. ‘Cus people don’t give him the respect of really being that dude. He been consistent, but he showed everyone, ‘I’m an MVP candidate.’” 

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Brown has constantly been underappreciated

After he signed a five-year contract extension worth up to $304 million in the summer of 2023, the hate train on Jaylen Brown had taken a whole other level. While many believe Jaylen is a max player, he certainly isn’t worth that kind of money, considering the focus on his lack of ball-handling skills and constant turnovers.

Although Jaylen proved everyone wrong the following season, helping the Celtics win their 18th title, winning Finals MVP in the process, he was still faced with constant criticism. Still, for JB, that was nothing new, considering he has historically missed out on several All-NBA teams and All-Star nods, which were viewed as significant snubs.

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Following his impactful 2023-24 season, Brown was left off the Olympic team, a move many viewed as another form of disrespect, with Nike playing an important role, according to Jaylen himself.

However, this year, with Tatum absent, Brown proved he can be a number one option on the team, leading the Celtics to an unexpected second seed in the Eastern Conference while averaging a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. While he appeared in some MVP talks, JB and others believe he was largely left out of the MVP race.

Is Brown heading to a new team?

Following Jaylen’s recent comments and headlines, some believe this playoff season was the last time we saw Brown in a Celtics uniform. To some fans and NBA analysts, this was a clear case of going public to demand a trade, as JB’s comments were a clear indication of growing frustration with the team.

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Due to his frustrations, JB probably wants his own team, which sounds eerily similar to the situation with Kyrie Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers, where having his own team didn’t turn out the prettiest.

Nevertheless, Brown ultimately denied the trade rumors, saying, “I could play in Boston for the next 10 years,” if it were up to him. However, that also may be the case of gaining publicity, which is often the case in the NBA.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.