Were it not for Tracy McGrady, Jaylen Brown might not still be with the Boston Celtics.
During his appearance on McGrady's "Cousins" podcast with Vince Carter this week, Brown credited McGrady for convincing him to stay with the Celtics when he was thinking about requesting a trade early in his career.
Brown was down and feeling frustrated after Boston's second-round playoff exit to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. He wasn't sure if the Celtics were the right team for him or if he could coexist with Jayson Tatum, especially with all the intensity and pressure of playing in Boston.
Fortunately, McGrady helped him calm down and stick it out with the Celtics, getting Brown to realize that the grass wasn't greener on the other side.
Jaylen Brown reveals Tracy McGrady convinced him to not ask for a trade after the Celtics lost to the Bucks in the second round of the playoffs in 2019
(Via @VinceAndTmac) pic.twitter.com/4mH5KdIEwv
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) March 12, 2026
"I just felt like, in that moment, I had to be a voice of reason," McGrady said, as he was able to look at Brown's situation logically as an impartial observer. "What I was seeing is a duo and a team that was putting something together that ultimately was gonna do what you guys ended up doing and winning a championship...I saw that."
McGrady was spot on. It took Brown and Tatum some time, but they eventually reached their first NBA Finals together in 2022 and won their first title in 2024.
If not for McGrady's wisdom, that might never have happened.
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