Many fans of the NBA today believe there are too many whistles, players embellishing for fouls, and superstar players conga lining to the free-throw line.

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics agrees with those fans.

The Celtics forward went live on his Twitch channel on Monday night to talk with his community. When the question of the game’s current climate came up, Brown, in his 10th year as an NBA pro, spoke up about what it means to be an MVP in the league today.

“This new generation, the floppers,” he said. “If you want to be a great player, you have to sell your soul. You have to be a flopper. If you want to be an MVP, top of the top, you’ve got to just sell your soul and be a flopper.”

While not brought up by name, fans on Twitch began speculating whether the former NBA champion was referring to the reigning league MVP, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The leader of the defending champs has become polarizing in NBA circles, with some believing his shifty, physical style while driving the ball is angling for a whistle to send him to the line.

Currently, Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder are running roughshod on the NBA, only losing once in their first 24 games of the regular season.

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As the stream went on, Brown urged his chat to ask him what kind of player they wanted him to be in today’s NBA era.

“I could go to practice on throwing my head [back],” he joked as he went on to parody how players whip their bodies and flail their arms when touched dribbling towards the basket.

For Brown’s Celtics, it has been a year of perseverance, as Jayson Tatum is out for the majority or all of the 2025 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon he experienced during last year’s conference semifinals.

Although counted out early, Brown has excelled as a leader, and without his duo partner, the team has rallied to a 15-9 record and third-place position in the East.