Who is Jaylen Brown?

Jaylen Marselles Brown is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jaylen played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being named first-team all-conference and Freshman of the Year in the Pac-12 Conference.

Declaring for the 2016 NBA draft after that season, he was selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick. As a professional, he has split his time between shooting guard and small forward. He was selected as an NBA All-Star in 2021 for the first time.

Also read: NBA Finals: Ghosts of playoffs still haunt Boston Celtics

Born on October 24, 1996, Brown attended Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. As a senior, he helped lead his team to victory in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 6A State Championship.

In 2014, Brown won the FIBA Americas Championship gold medal as part of the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team. He was also selected to play in the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game. At the conclusion of an outstanding high school career, Brown was named Gatorade Georgia Boys Player of the Year, USA Today’s All-USA Georgia Player of the Year, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball, and the Class 6A Player of the Year.

Also read: NBA Finals: 3 things to watch out for in Game 6

On June 23, 2016, Brown was selected by the Boston Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. On July 27, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics after averaging 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals in six Summer League games.

Jaylen made his debut for the Celtics in their season opener on October 26 against the Brooklyn Nets, scoring nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, while adding two blocked shots in 19-plus minutes.

Also read: NBA Finals: Celtics ‘looking forward’ to facing ‘livid’ Steph Curry in Game 6

In his first career start on November 3, Brown scored 19 points in a 128–122 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 27, 2017, he scored a then career-high 20 points in a 128–98 win over the Orlando Magic.

In the Eastern Conference, Brown helped the Celtics claim the No. 1 seed, before helping them advance through to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the Cavaliers in five games.

Also read: NBA Finals: Will Boston Celtics live to fight another day?

Brown had a productive rookie season in 2016–17, with his role off the bench continuing to develop as the year went on. He appeared in 78 games for the Celtics during the regular season, with 20 starts. He averaged 17.2 minutes on the floor, 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists. At the season’s end, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.