Intentional or not, Jaylen Brown has been stirring up a lot of drama for the Boston Celtics this offseason.
It all started back in early May after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite losing in the first round and missing Jayson Tatum for most of the year, Brown surprisingly called the season the "favorite year of my basketball career."
That quote raised a lot of eyebrows around New England, as it seemingly implied that Brown didn't like playing with Tatum and preferred to have his own team. Since then, he's listed his Boston penthouse for sale and has seen his name plastered in trade rumors.
Some have tried to defend Brown's comments or argue that they were taken out of context, including his teammate, Payton Pritchard.
Payton Pritchard defended Jaylen Brown and his “favorite year” comment:
“I think people took it wrong, with what we were supposed to do this year and overcoming that and becoming the #2 seed and having a successful regular season, I think that’s what he meant by that.” pic.twitter.com/O7lFxSrANw
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) June 8, 2026
"I think people took it wrong, with what we were supposed to do this year and overcoming that and becoming the No. 2 seed and having a successful regular season, I think that’s what he meant by that," Pritchard said on Monday.
Pritchard is probably right, as the Celtics dramatically exceeded expectations during the regular season. Many analysts had them missing the playoffs altogether or winning around 40-45 games. Instead, Boston overcame Tatum's absence to win 56 games and claim the two seed in the Eastern Conference.
Until the postseason rolled around, it was a great year and a fun year for the Celtics. However, Brown probably shouldn't have called it his favorite season when he's only two years removed from winning a championship and Finals MVP.
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