LOS ANGELES — Jaylen Brown had 32 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals after the Celtics beat the Lakers 111-89 on Sunday, earning him MVP support from rival teams in Boston and Los Angeles.
Four-time MVP LeBron James said he thinks Brown has a chance to win his first award this season.
“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name isn’t mentioned in some places,” James said. “Like, nobody gave them a chance to start the season. And what’s his average, 30? Less than 30? It’s a popularity contest sometimes, I said.”
The victory over the Lakers improved Boston’s record to 37-19, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Brown averaged career highs in points (29.2), rebounds (7.0) and assists (4.8) on Sunday.
James said Brown is worth consideration given the Celtics’ competitiveness despite being sidelined all season with Jayson Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and losing Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis from the 2024 championship team.
“I think he just took advantage of the motivation of a lot of people saying, ‘This year is going to be down,'” James said. “The whole championship team is pretty revamped, but he used that as motivation to keep the team going. They’re playing great basketball, but it’s all down to him and the rest of the players. He took the next step.”
Brown said he tries not to pay too much attention to the criticisms and praise he receives, but said he qualified for the award as he felt.
“I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world,” Brown said. “I play on both ends of the court. I’m available night in and night out, but that’s tough. I’m a leader. I lead the team and empower the team to play with confidence, something that doesn’t necessarily show up in the analysis. And I’m a winner. I come out every night and try to win. So I’m grateful.”
“It’s an honor to play in the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. It’s an honor that LeBron, who is arguably the greatest player of all time, speaks so highly of me. So I’m just grateful.”
James and Brown were All-Star teammates on the USA Stripes team earlier this month.
Brown said it allowed him and James to reconnect about the interactions they had when Brown was a rookie.
“When I came into the league, my first start was against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the game, he came up to me and said in my ear, ‘You’re going to be an All-Star one day, you’re going to be a great player,'” Brown said. “So we talked about it at the All-Star Game. ‘Remember 10 years ago?’ And he laughed, ‘Of course I’m not surprised by what you’re doing now.’ So keep proving people wrong. If you keep doing what you need to do and continue to lead your team, people will take notice. ”
Mr. Brown said he had spoken more with Mr. James, but he did not intend to share it.
He may have been referring to a 2024 Las Vegas Summer League game in which he was caught on camera questioning the professionalism of Bronny James, who was sitting courtside.
“Our relationship is pretty respectful, other than what he said about Bronny in summer league,” James said of Brown. “But other than that, we were fine.”
Brown later shared his thoughts on Bronny on social media, saying, “Having your son around you in the NBA is flexible. … Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful. I’m looking forward to watching him grow.”
James said he and Brown “will be fine.”
“I think he posted on social media and said something about it,” James said. “That’s great, Bronny has a long way to go, but that’s another story. But that kid, I mean, listen, JB is doing it.” [great]. S—, he’s playing great basketball, dude. ”
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne contributed to this report.