In May, Jaylen Brown was down bad. The Sixers had just pulled off their first-ever 3-1 series comeback in franchise history to beat Brown’s Celtics in the playoffs for the first time in more than 40 years. That also marked the Celtics’ first blown 3-1 lead in franchise history. (We truly hate to see it.)
While the season ended in clear disappointment, Brown raised eyebrows across the NBA when he said it was “my favorite year of my basketball career” on his Twitch stream afterward. Brown’s co-star, Jayson Tatum, missed most of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles, so that quote naturally set off a firestorm in the national media.
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Does Brown care more about his production than he does about winning? Did he want his own team? Was it finally time to break up the Jays? (As it turns out, we got a clear answer to that last question two months later.)
The national media being what it is these days, the reaction was completely devoid of the context surrounding that quote. That context is what should give the Sixers hope about their outlook heading into the 2026-27 season.
What Brown actually meant
That Twitch stream wasn’t the first time that Brown said the 2025-26 campaign was his favorite season.
“I think this has been my favorite season so far, being able to get an opportunity to lead a group,” he told reporters in late December. “A group of guys who … Some of us have some championship experience, but we have five or six new guys who haven’t really played NBA basketball. And now, we look like one of the better teams in the league. And that’s just credit to our coaching staff and credit to our leadership that we’ve been able to get those guys comfortable. And we’re playing some good basketball right now, so it means everything.”
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Ever since they drafted Brown in 2016, the Celtics have made six appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, earned two NBA Finals berths and won a championship in 2023-24. They were in the inner circle of title contenders for most of Brown’s NBA career. But after Tatum tore his Achilles in the second round of the playoffs in 2024-25, expectations were far lower for the Celtics heading into last season.
In other words, last year was Brown’s first taste of a no-one-believes-in-us season. And that’s exactly what he referenced on his Twitch stream.
“Being able to be a part of the group that just through the uncertainty that came to compete and came to went to war,” Brown said. “I’ll take a team like that any day of the week.”
Once the National Media Outrage Machine took off, Brown followed up a few days later to clarify his remarks.
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“The expectations for this team was to fail,” Brown said on another Twitch stream. “The expectations for this team was to be nothing. Just to give in, and to quit. This team did the exact opposite. We fought every single day. We fought for everything.”
Brown also detailed how he relished watching the growth of young teammates like Hugo González, Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta.
“You got to see all of these guys, all of my teammates, grow,” Brown added. “I got to see them overcome adversity as a group, up close and personal. … Obviously, we’re not satisfied with the result. If it sounds like an excuse, it’s not. But to fight and maneuver through adversity and grow, and galvanize with a bunch of guys and to have that mindset and approach, this was my favorite year.
“I wouldn’t say by far. By far would be a stretch, because obviously winning the championship is great. But I’m telling y’all, this was my favorite season.”
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Brown will be coming into a far different situation in Philly than he did in Boston last season. Expectations are through the roof for the Sixers after the offseason they just had. He also won’t be looked at as the clear-cut leader of the team.
Does that mean Brown is guaranteed to become a malcontent? Hardly.
“To be honest, it doesn’t have to be anybody’s team,” Brown said during his introductory press conference with the Sixers. It just needs to be based in respect and work. And that’s kind of my approach. I want to earn everybody’s respect and trust, which takes time. “Obviously, it’s a lot of guys with talent, there’s egos, but to win, you’ve gotta be able to sacrifice, you’ve gotta be able to have trust and communication. I want to come in transparent. I want to come in with my agenda on the table, ‘Look, this is what I’m here to do, this is what I want to do. I want to win.’ And we kinda can figure out how to respectfully move around each other.”
Although the Sixers are expected to be among the title favorites heading into the season, questions abound about them. How will they be able to solve the “one ball” problem? Can they put their egos aside for the greater good? Will Brown be willing to recede into a smaller role fresh off a career year? Can he prove the analytics dorks wrong?
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Brown has the opportunity this season to continue defying expectations, albeit in a different way than last year. He’ll also have the chance to watch and help facilitate the growth of young teammates, from VJ Edgecombe and Labaron Philon Jr. to Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow. Just because this Sixers roster is more like his early-2020s Celtics squads than last year’s Celtics doesn’t mean he’s destined to become unhappy in Philly.
If anything, the chance to prove everyone wrong again—particularly those in Boston who’ve suddenly begun to question his impact now that he’s gone—should fuel him all year.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.
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