"I held out for $10,000" - 6x NBA champ jests about Jaylen Brown's $304 million deal with Celtics
Jaylen Brown signed a then-record extension with the Boston Celtics in July 2023. Brown, who had yet to win a title with Boston at that point, re-signed for a five-year contract worth $304 million. While contracts like these are becoming the standard for the game's biggest stars, there was a time when salaries such as Brown's were unheard of.
Even for MVP-caliber talent such as Celtics legend Bob Cousy, a contract this big was but a dream. In an article written by Chris Mannix for Sports Illustrated, Cousy talked about the money that modern stars earn.
Cousy served as the president of the players' union during his playing days (1951-70), and part of his contribution was to help raise the players' salaries. He jokingly compared what he made before to Brown's massive supermax extension.
"I held out for $10,000 so Jaylen could hold out for ($304) million," Cousy said.
Jaylen Brown's record contract would later be surpassed by his teammate, Jayson Tatum. He signed a five-year deal worth $315 million on July 6 after they won title No. 18 for the Boston Celtics franchise.
Of those 18 titles, Bob Cousy helped win six. The Hall of Famer also won one league MVP award (1956-57), was a 13-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA first team 10 times.
As decorated as he is, he never got to sign a contract that was anywhere near what Brown and Tatum are making. Even when adjusting for inflation, the $10,000 that Cousy fought for back in his playing days would amount to just a little over $110,000 today.
Also read: "That's the f**ked up part" - Carmelo Anthony slams Team USA's decision to snub Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown names his all-time starting five
Jaylen Brown is one of the biggest basketball stars today. After all, he just won his first NBA title and was crowned as the Finals MVP after doing so. However, he doesn't seem to think he belongs in an all-time starting five just yet.
When asked who he would place in his own all-time starting five, Brown gave a list of five legendary players. He placed LeBron James at the power forward spot, Steph Curry as his point guard, Kobe Bryant at shooting guard and Kevin Durant at small forward and initially named Shaquille O'Neal as his center. However, he quickly replaced Shaq with 11-time Boston Celtics champion Bill Russell.
Shaq, Kobe and Russell have all been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, KD, LeBron and Steph are all still playing, and as such, are ineligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
However, it is safe to assume that all three players are already a lock to be first-ballot Hall of Famers.