Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is one of the best players in the NBA, and he will have a chance to shine in the 2025-26 season with his longtime co-star, Jayson Tatum, set to miss the majority of the year with a torn Achilles tendon.
Even when playing alongside Tatum, Brown has managed to solidify his spot as one of the top players in the league. A four-time All-Star, Brown also helped the C’s win the 2024 NBA Finals, earning Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP awards during their title run.
Despite his superstar status, Brown does not have a sneaker deal with a big-name company like many other players of his stature do. Instead, he founded his own shoe brand, 741, which he began wearing last season.
Brown not having his own shoe deal isn’t because of a lack of interest. Instead, Brown said he did not want to have to adhere to the policies and views of whatever company he signed with, and he revealed that resulted in him turning down a $50 million deal from Nike.
“You sign these contracts, you have these little catchphrases that be in there,” Brown said on the “Big Tigger Morning Show.” “If you say anything controversial, or anything that disrupts our ecosystem of our company, we can terminate your deal, terminate your contract. So that kind of makes you not have a voice.”
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“A lot of our celebrities and our athletes, they never speak up, they never say anything, because they risk whatever their contract is if they do. I don’t like compromising my voice for nothing and nobody. So I just told them I’d pass.”
Shoe deal or not, Brown has remained one of the most important players to Boston’s success in recent years. Last season, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, which helped him earn the fourth All-Star selection of his career.
Now, he will be tasked with taking on an even bigger burden on offense for the Celtics with Tatum out and guys like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet all finding new homes this offseason. And while expectations for the team may be lower than normal, you can bet Brown will do everything in his power to keep them competitive next season.
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