Brown ready to win with LeBron, Embiid and 76ers

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

Jaylen Brown admits he is still processing the details of his messy break-up with the Boston Celtics, the franchise that drafted him as a teenager and where he blossomed into an NBA Finals MVP and champion.

The 29-year-old guard was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he now forms an All-Star trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Little did he know LeBron James would also join the Sixers, creating what many believe could be the best starting five in the NBA.

Brown said the trade was difficult to accept.

“I’m still processing to some degree,” he said Thursday. “Just the excitement of coming to a new city, a new place, new expectations, new energy. Then also leaving somewhere that you’ve been for a very, very long time.”

Brown, the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft, built a potent partnership with Jayson Tatum that culminated in the 2024 NBA championship. Their off-court relationship was often dissected in media circles, and Brown noted they have “not really” spoken since the trade.

“We won a championship together. Anybody that you win a championship with, you think that’s what a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail. Obviously, there’s ups and downs in any type of relationship, for sure.”

Brown still has three seasons and about US$182 million left on the five-year, US$304 million supermax deal he signed in 2023. Despite career highs last season — 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game — and finishing sixth in MVP voting, he was dangled as trade bait in Boston’s failed bid for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The 76ers and new team president Mike Gansey swooped in, acquiring Brown in exchange for Paul George and draft picks. His arrival helped sway James to sign as a free agent, giving Philadelphia two league MVPs in Embiid and James, a five-time All-Star in Brown, a rising star in Maxey, and rookie standout VJ Edgecombe.

Gansey said Brown’s presence was pivotal.

“I thought maybe after Jaylen, we had a better chance. I guess that was all we needed.”

Expectations are now sky high for a franchise that hasn’t won an NBA title since 1983.

Brown, who has often spoken about feeling disrespected by media and league circles, said he has learned to handle pressure differently.

“I think, at different points in my career, how I handled pressure would probably look different at this point,” he said. “I probably ignore a lot of it, you know, just water under the bridge. My relationship with the media hasn’t always been the best. That’s part of the reason why I started streaming (on Twitch) and stuff like that.”