Jaylen Brown's Boston Celtics career started with a chorus of boos from fans angry that the team selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. A decade later, it ended with a chorus of boos from fans angry that the team traded him to a bitter rival that had knocked them out of the playoffs two months earlier.
In between, Brown won a championship and a Finals MVP, made six Eastern Conference Finals and two Finals, earned five All-Star and two All-NBA appearances, never missed the playoffs, appeared in 816 of a possible 942 games (86.6%) between the regular season and playoffs, and became an icon in Boston.
And now he's gone, and the Brown-Jayson Tatum era, one of the most successful in the history of the storied franchise, is over.
The trade -- Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks -- is a gut punch to the fanbase that is difficult to comprehend. Even Brown remains at a loss nearly 24 hours later.
"I'm still processing how this all went down. I'm excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge," Brown wrote in a statement Thursday.
Shortly after he was drafted, Brown donned a Celtics hat and made a promise to the people of Boston: "I'm gonna go to war for this city. I'm going to play with a lot of passion and leave it all on the floor every night."
"I'm overly confident. I believe in myself 100%," Brown continued. "I believe in my game and I believe in my work ethic. I don't believe anybody works as hard as me, especially not in this draft class. I'm going to go out and show what I can do. Rome wasn't built in a day. It'll take time. [But] you'll see."
He stayed true to his word.
Brown got better year after year, to the point that he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, finished sixth in MVP voting and turned what was supposed to be a gap year into a 56-win campaign and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. He never missed extended time, and even played through a partially torn meniscus in the 2025 playoffs. He immersed himself in the community with his foundation and charity work.
"Yeah, I play for the Celtics," Brown said last year. "Yeah, I started businesses here. But I've also been in the community. I've been in the Boys and Girls Clubs. I've connected with people. I spend time. People know me by name because I spend time in the community.
"Sports are very powerful. But there are other things that are more important."
Brown was not a perfect player. And he is an expensive one. He is owed $183 million over the next three seasons and is up for a $142 million extension later this month. Also, some of his comments over the last year were confusing at best and selfish at worst. Why would you say last season was your "favorite season" of your career immediately after the team blew a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs?
But what player is perfect?
Brown was easy to root for because of his work ethic and drive as much as his incredible talent. For a decade, every time you walked into TD Garden or turned on the TV for a Celtics game, you could count on Brown to be on the floor giving it his all. And more times than not, the Celtics won.
If the Celtics had traded him for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, everyone would have understood. Many would have celebrated. Instead, they replaced him with a 36-year-old who has reached the 60-game mark once this decade and was suspended 25 games last season for violating the league's anti-drug policy and four draft picks that may not amount to anything.
Brown, who reportedly never asked to be traded, didn't mention the organization in his farewell message.
"The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together, the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I'll carry on with me. Saying goodbye isn't easy when you've invested your heart into something," Brown wrote.
"I'm big on respect and actions speak louder than words. To the people of Boston, thank you. To the community I built here I love you, and to the shiftaz we are locked in for life."
Not long ago, when Brown was riding through the streets of Boston on a duck boat, Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy in hand, it seemed he and the Celtics would be locked in for life, too. Now he's gone, and when next season begins without Brown in the starting lineup next to Jayson Tatum, fans will still be wondering why it had to end this way.
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