Jaylen Brown revealed that Tracy McGrady convinced him to stay with the Celtics in 2019, preventing a trade that could have changed his career. Now the team's leader, Brown is putting up career-high numbers and helping Boston hold second place in the Eastern Conference.
Jaylen Brown almost left the Boston Celtics in 2019, but Tracy McGrady convinced him to stay, and the move changed the course of his career.
Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown
Team: Boston Celtics
Position: SG, SF
Age: 29
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 101 kg
Birth place: Georgia, United States of America
"I'm thinking like one thing, and he's like, 'Nah, you got to stay. It's going to be you.' He's telling me all of the stuff that all just manifested itself. It's crazy looking back at it now," Brown said on Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.
McGrady explained why he stepped in to guide Brown after a tough playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I felt like I had to be the voice of reason because I know once you're actually in it, you have different emotions. I'm not attached to it because I don't have those emotions," McGrady said.
Brown decided to stay in Boston, and it paid off. He won a championship with the Celtics in 2022 and was named NBA Finals MVP.
Now, Brown is having the best season of his career and is Boston's undisputed leader while Jayson Tatum works to return to full form.
This season, Brown averages 28.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists over 58 games. He is shooting 48% from the field and 34.8% from three, carrying the Celtics' offense.
Boston currently sits second in the Eastern Conference with a 43-22 record, making them one of the top teams in the league.
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