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The doubt started before Jaylen Brown had even put on a Boston Celtics jersey. Fans inside TD Garden booed when the selection was announced during a watch party for the 2016 NBA Draft. They then showered owner Wyc Grousbeck with the same reaction when he came out to explain the decision.
Brown was undeterred. “I’m going to go to war for this city,” he said that night. So, too, was Grousbeck. “We’re very happy to build with a piece — and maybe an important piece — Jaylen Brown,” Grousbeck said. “We feel that he’s got the physique and the competitive drive, and the motor, and the skills, and really important the character and the intelligence… looking forward to having him in Celtics green, and think it’s the right move for our team at this time and in the future.”
Over the past eight years, Brown has worked tirelessly to prove Grousbeck right and everyone else wrong. To show that he was the right pick, that he is an All-Star and All-NBA caliber player, that he did deserve the richest contract in NBA history, and now, finally, that can bring the Celtics a championship.
Brown completed his journey in style on Monday night with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the Celtics’ 106-88 Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2024 NBA Finals and give the storied franchise its long-awaited 18th title. That Brown was named Finals MVP after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5 assists in the series only made the night that much sweeter.
For much of Brown’s career, every accomplishment was met with further questions, every step forward with a setback.
The trend started early. With Gordon Hayward injured early and Kyrie Irving joining him on the sidelines for the playoffs, Brown was thrust into a bigger role and enjoyed a breakout second season. He averaged 14.5 points per game, shot 39.5% from behind the arc and played a key role in the Celtics’ run to another Eastern Conference finals. In Game 2 of the team’s first-round series, he made history as the youngest player in franchise history to score 30 points in a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/jaylen-browns-journey-from-booed-celtics-draft-pick-to-franchise-star-culminates-with-2024-nba-finals-win/
Author : Jack Maloney
Publish date : 2024-06-18 13:10:04
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