"Clearly Finals MVP bump" - Serena Williams' husband notes Jaylen Brown's market rise dwarfing Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown was once described by an anonymous NBA source as unmarketable compared to Jayson Tatum. However, Brown's performance in the Boston Celtics' championship run has proven that his stock is on the rise. Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, pointed out Brown's NBA Finals MVP win as a catalyst.
In a post on his Instagram stories, Ohanian shared the NBA card market difference between Tatum and Brown in the past 30 days, provided by @altxyzofficial. The Reddit co-founder is a sports card collector and businessman, so he knows that winning the NBA Finals MVP helped Brown.
"This is clearly Finals MVP bump," Ohanian wrote.
Sports cards, especially NBA cards, went up in demand and had a market boom before the pandemic with the arrival of Luka Doncic. It only grew over the years during the early 2020s and continued to be a profitable venture for card dealers.
Jayson Tatum was a popular collector's item starting when he showcased his potential with the Boston Celtics during his rookie campaign. Jaylen Brown didn't have a huge market since he was not a starter the year before when he was drafted by the Celtics.
It has also been widely considered that Tatum is a better player than Brown. He's even described as more marketable considering the St. Louis native has his own signature shoe with the Air Jordan Brand.
Jaylen Brown, on the other hand, doesn't have his signature shoe although he has the largest contract ever signed in NBA history. The $304 million extension was worth it for Boston as the 27-year-old forward led the franchise to their 18th championship.
Jaylen Brown takes shot at Stephen A. Smith with shirt on Celtics' championship parade
Stephen A. Smith drew the ire of Jaylen Brown several weeks ago when the eccentric ESPN analyst read a note from an anonymous source. The source explained why Brown is not seen as marketable compared to Jayson Tatum.
"I wanted to read to y'all what an NBA source just sent me. He said, 'Jaylen Brown, it's not so much that he's underrated, it's that he's just not liked because of his I-am-better-than-you attitude. He knows it. It's the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be.' That's what an NBA source just sent me," Smith said on 'First Take.'
Isiah Thomas defended Brown from the source's comments and called out Stephen A. Smith to reveal who the source was. Brown also chimed in and demanded Smith to "state your source" on his official X account.
With the California product getting the championship and the NBA Finals MVP, he went the petty route and trolled Smith by wearing a shirt that said, "State Your Source" for the Boston Celtics parade on Friday.