The Boston Celtics’ 2024 Finals MVP, small forward Jaylen Brown, almost jumped ship — according to Jaylen Brown.

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Former Hall of Fame forward Tracy McGrady has served as a mentor to Brown since his high school days.

The four-time All-Star posted a video of himself on TikTok (as shared by NBACentral subsequently) revealing that McGrady talked him out of departing the team, likely by forcing a trade or waiting to reach unrestricted free agency rather than sign the five-year, $304 million maximum contract extension he eventually agreed to in 2023.

Jaylen Brown admits he thought about leaving the Celtics, but Tracy McGrady convinced him to stay

“Nah, bro, trust me. Whatever you can do, if you could stay, you’ve got the opportunity to win, win.”

(🎥 @FCHWPO ) pic.twitter.com/g7otoV9eWR

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 24, 2025

“One of my favorite people in the world, one of my big bros, one of my mentors, is Tracy McGrady,” Brown said. “I valued our relationship so much dog. Even when I was in high school, I was on the Adidas circuit. He was always my favorite. Him and Kobe were always my favorite players. But T-Mac, just his swag. I was a T-Mac fan, dog. I remember, he told me when I first met him, ‘Stay humble and hungry.’ For my first All-Star game, I paid homage to T-Mac. I wore one red shoe and one blue shoe. And then I had Adidas put ‘Humble and hungry’ [on the shoes].”

McGrady, a seven-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA during his stints with the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, decamped from his first team, the Toronto Raptors, as a free agent in 2000. He and his All-Star cousin, Vince Carter, appeared to be on the cusp of shared glory in the Great White North.

But McGrady sought greener pastures elsewhere. Ultimately, while he enjoyed a lot of regular season success, he never got out of the first round as a star player. He did eventually make the NBA Finals, as a non-rotation piece on the 2012-13 San Antonio Spurs.

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Before the Celtics’ core of Brown and Jayson Tatum broke through and won their first title together in 2024 (they also went to the 2022 Finals), questions had abounded about their fit.

Although Brown’s not a great ball handler, he remains a solid scorer otherwise and a high-level defender.

“There were times where things were looking rough here in Boston. I don’t know how many times they’ve put me in trade talks for whatever reason. It was always something,” Brown said. “It was other players that Brad [Stevens] or whoever thought the organization was better fit [to accommodate than Brown], so I was like, ‘You know, I think it may be time to go. I think I can go somewhere else. I think I’m talented, I think I can score the ball at a very very high level.'”

Brown was stunned by McGrady’s response when he consulted with the retired superstar about his decision.

‘Stay, Bro’

“T-Mac was like, ‘Stay, bro.’ I was like, ‘Huh?’ I’m thinking, like, T-Mac and Vince [Carter], T-Mac chose to leave [the Raptors] in order to go be the T-Mac who he eventually was,” Brown said. “I’m thinking that’s what he was going to say. 

“He was like, ‘Nah, bro, trust me, whatever you can do, if you can stay and you’ve got an opportunity to win, win.’ I was like, damn, and I forever took that with me. Even behind closed doors when things have always been up and down, I’ve always held onto that message. I want to win first.”

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