Since it’s my favorite Celtics player’s birthday today, I thought we should get to know #7 a little better. The 3-0 Boston Celtics are hot, and Jaylen is certainly a key behind their success. By the way, this is the first time in over a decade that the Cs are off to a 3-0 start. Don’t want to jinx it, just want to say…
Happy birthday to the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown! Check out these fun facts about the talented and smart hoops star.
Join us in wishing @FCHWPO of the @celtics a HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY! #NBABDAY pic.twitter.com/2C7IxM6K9a
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2022
1. High School
Jaylen grew up in Marietta, Georgia (home to country music’s Travis Tritt). He attended Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. According to Wikipedia, Brown helped lead his team to victory in the Georgia High School Association Class 6A State Championship. “With 0.6 seconds remaining, Brown hit two free throws to give Wheeler a 59–58 win.” There were plenty more accolades to come in Jaylen’s high school career including, being name Gatroade Georgia Boys Player of the Year, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball, USA Today‘s All-USA Georgia Player of the Year and the Class 6A Player of the Year.
Jaylen Brown of team USA goes for a dunk during adidas Eurocamp day two at La Ghirada sports center on June 8, 2014 in Treviso, Italy. (Photo by Roberto Serra/Iguana Press/Getty Images)
2. College
Did you know Jaylen played one year of college basketball? He played for the California Golden Bears at University of California at Berkely, and was named first-team All-Conference and Freshman of the Year in the Pac-12 Conference. He wasn’t just a great athlete, but also very committed to studies. In fact, as stated in Wikipedia, “Brown took a masters-level class in Berkeley’s Cultural Studies of Sport in Education program during his first semester in college. He also gained some fluency in Spanish, stating a goal of learning three more languages by the age of 25.”
Jaylen Brown #0 of the California Golden Bears drives against Zylan Cheatham #14 of the San Diego State Aztecs during the 2015 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 26, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
3. Professional Career
It was nearly 7 1/2 years ago that Jaylen Brown was selected by the Boston Celtics as the 3rd overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Good move Boston. He signed his rookie scale contract with the C’s in July of 2016. He has become one of the NBA’s most consistant players, and one of the Celtics top scorers, consistently.
Jaylen Brown poses with Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted third overall by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
4. No Agent At Signing
Brown made headlines when he was drafted because he decided not to hire an agent. According to Fan Girl Sports Network,
Jaylen negotiated his first contract “with the help of the NBPA and close mentors.” According to the article he did this “because he wanted to have a better understanding of the industry before hiring anyone.”
Recently, per CBS Sports, he did sign a marketing contract with Kanye West’s company, Donda Sports. He was the first NBA player to sign with them, and by the way one of the few NBA stars without a sneaker brand contract.
Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics dunks the ball during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on November 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
5. Chess is his other game
Fan Girl Sports revealed that Jaylen’s grandfather taught him to play the game of chess, when he was only 4 years old. He was even captain of his chess team in high school. Brown also took chess as an elective in college!
Celtics fans hold a Jaylen Brown sign in Game Three of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat at TD Garden on May 21, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
6. His dad is wicked tall
Jaylen’s dad, Marselles, is 7 feet tall, and is a professional boxer. He 2016 WBU World Champion, “the 2015 WBU C.A.M. Heavyweight Champion, and a member of the Hawaii State Boxing Commission Board.” (Wikipedia). But wait, there’s more…Marselles boasts an 86-inch reach, and holds a record of 31-18 in his career with 23 knockouts.
Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden on October 04, 2021 in Boston, (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
