Boston Celtics superstar and 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown had a lot of things to get off his chest in his recent interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Appearing on ‘The Stephen A Smith Show,’ Brown got the perfect opportunity to question the veteran sports journalist on his previous remark about Brown based on an anonymous source.
While the Celtics made headway through the playoffs to the NBA Finals last season, Smith made headlines after making a ridiculous claim about Brown on First Take. According to Smith’s ‘unnamed sources,’ some people in the league did not like Brown and claimed that the star had a big ego. Furthermore, Smith made rampant claims that Jaylen Brown was not marketable because of this.
In this recent interview, JB arrived at the set wearing a t-shirt with ‘State Your Source’ printed on its chest. Addressing the controversy and calling out the unnamed source, Brown said,
“I wanted to send a message through you to them. Cause you’re the only person who knows their source is…I basically wanted to say to them, that I think it’s cowardice. I think, historically, unnamed sources have attacked some of our greats and I/we are not responsible for what they lack in design.”
Regarding being labeled as arrogant, Brown was quick to shut down those claims. The Celtics superstar said the lines between critiquing a player’s on-court performance and character were crossed.
He said, “I think journalistic integrity requires it to go both ways. I never had the chance to respond or defend myself. One, because they’re never going to reveal themselves. Two, the damage is already done. So, when I’m speaking to is the unnamed source.”
Brown gifted SAS one of his ‘State Your Source’ t-shirts, which the ESPN analyst happily embraced. At the show’s end, both exchanged greetings and posed for photos together.
