Former NBA champ comes to Jaylen Brown’s defense for allegedly questioning Bronny James' pro potential: "He's not the only one"
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown made news Monday after he appeared to say, “I don’t think Bronny is a pro,” while attending a Summer League game between the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics. Brown was there alongside Kysre Gondrezick and Angel Reese, and a video clip caught him allegedly saying the aforementioned statement.
As expected, fans had a field day dissecting the statement on X, and the discussions poured on to Tuesday morning’s edition of Fox’s Undisputed. Former NBA champion and current analyst Paul Pierce said:
“Everybody is entitled to their opinion. Yeah, Jaylen Brown said, you know what, truthfully, I am not a good lip reader. Maybe he said, maybe he didn’t, maybe he did. … We can assume that he said that. But if he said that, you know, that’s his opinion. I am sure he is not the only one in that building who feels the same way.”
It’s not a surprise that Pierce had Jaylen Brown’s back, as the current forward plays for the same team that “The Truth” did. Also, that’s not the only reason as the LA Lakers have faced a lot of criticism since drafting Bronny James 55th. What made the signing of LeBron James’ son even more controversial was the fact that he signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract.
Players who are usually drafted that late are signed to two-way contracts and spend much of their time in the G-League. Bronny’s performance so far in Summer League has only added fuel to the discussion. He had just two points on 1-for-5 shooting on Monday. Before that, he had just 15 points on 6-of-26 shooting, including zero 3-pointers made.
Jaylen Brown clears air after alleged comments went viral
After Jaylen Brown went viral for allegedly questioning Bronny James’ NBA potential, the Boston Celtics forward took to X (formerly Twiiter) in the early hours of Tuesday morning to clear the air. He wrote:
“It’s a flex to have your son alongside you in the nba it reflects greatness and longevity !Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful, I look forward to watching his growth.”
Brown has consistently found himself in the limelight this offseason. Previously, he made news when he was overlooked after a spot in the U.S. men’s Olympic roster opened up after Kawhi Leonard’s exit. That open spot eventually went to fellow Boston player Derrick White. Brown was asked about it on Monday. He replied:
“I wasn’t surprised, but my reaction was that I was happy for D White. It’s dope to have so much of our guys on there, so I was happy for those guys. But I wasn’t surprised.”
With most of the offseason yet to go, it will be interesting to find out if the headlines keep following Jaylen Brown throughout the summer.