There is a now-famous story about one of Jaylen Brown’s teachers in school getting frustrated with him and telling him she’d see him in prison. It all started with a tweet from him in 2014:
My teacher said she will look me up in the Cobb county jail in 5 years .. Wow
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) April 28, 2014
“I remember like it was yesterday,” he recently explained during a trip back to Atlanta. “I came into class, I think I had just got back from a camp … and I remember I was kind of distracting the class, not intentionally, but, you know, all the kids wanted to ask me questions and stuff at the time.
“And the teacher was just trying to get the class organized, so she made a comment, like if Jaylen doesn't do his work, I don't care what camp he went to, or whatever the case may be, he's not going to be successful if he doesn't pay attention in class, or something. I might have said something back, like, whether I pay attention to class or not, I'ma make it. And she was like, Well, we'll see, I'll see you in the Cobb County Jail.”
Brown said he went the tweet out during his next class, and the situation was addressed. He has never named that teacher, and he now acknowledges that he could have been more respectful in the moment. He has shared empathy with teachers in that situation, especially with overcrowded classrooms. As far as he’s concerned, there's no need to dwell on it, even though he has used the words as fuel.
But in an appearance on COUSINS, a new podcast hosted by real-life cousins Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Brown shared an untold story about when he nearly proved that teacher right. .
“My senior year, I got arrested,” he said. “I got arrested for a traffic violation. I'm on my way to school. I could have graduated from high school in my junior year because I was advanced in science and math. So I stayed an extra year my senior year to win a state championship.
“Long story short, at the assembly, I was supposed to win Mr. Georgia basketball, positive athlete of the year… And on the way to that assembly, I get arrested, and I'm supposed to be getting all these awards, but I'm in the Cobb County holding, taking my mugshot. So it was a big deal for me because it's like in the moment you're supposed to be praised or the moment you're supposed to be getting all this notoriety, I'm getting humbled to the most degree.”
The story of Brown’s arrest is still online, including an explanation from his high school coach.
“All he did was get a ticket for a stop-sign violation,” Doug Lipscomb told USA TODAY. “He didn’t know he was driving on a suspended license. He was in an accident, they mailed the citation to his house, but his family had moved and didn’t receive the notice, so his license was suspended. It wasn’t that big a deal.”
Brown says the arrest caused a lot of commotion, and colleges he’d been considering stopped communicating with him. It’s part of what pushed him to Cal, which wasn’t even on his original list of schools, and away from a college he was considering.
You can watch the entire podcast here.
The arrest is an interesting “sliding doors” moment for Brown. If he didn’t run that stop sign, and didn't get arrested, and ended up going to a different college, would he have still gone to Boston as the third pick in 2016? Would he have gone higher? Lower?
That arrest was actually a life-changing moment because it changed where he went to school and ultimately led him to the Celtics. It hasn’t always been great, but here he is, climbing the Celtics all-time scoring list, winning a championship, and a Finals MVP. He has solidified a Hall of Fame career and he’s still in his prime.
Brown is currently awaiting word on if he’ll face any further punishment from the league related to his ejection from the San Antonio Spurs game. It’s unlikely, but there is always a possibility of a fine for players if it’s determined they didn’t leave the court in a timely manner.