Jaylen Brown admitted the move from Boston to Philadelphia has brought “a lot of emotions,” but the five-time All-Star made clear Thursday that his attention is now on winning with the 76ers.
Brown spoke at his introductory press conference on Thursday, August 6, describing the transition after spending the first 10 years of his NBA career with the Celtics.
“It’s been a lot of emotions,” Brown said. “It’s been a process to be honest. I’m still processing to some degree just, you know, one the excitement of coming to a new city, new place, new expectations, new energy. Then also leaving somewhere that you’ve been for a very long time.”
Brown, 29, spent a third of his life in Boston after being drafted by the Celtics in 2016. He said leaving the organization was difficult but viewed the end of his Boston tenure as part of beginning a new chapter.
“In anything that you know, starting something new, it’s a end of something else,” Brown said. “It’s just a process just like everybody else has to deal with certain things. It’s no different. But, yeah, it’s just been public, so that’s the only difference.”
His priorities in Philadelphia, however, are straightforward.
“I’m excited to just be myself,” Brown said. “I think that’s one thing that I can promise the city and the organization and the coaching staff that I’m going to come in every single day and be myself, put my best foot forward, lead with my integrity, lead with my mentality, and lead with my capacity and my will to win.”
“We’ll figure out the X’s and O’s and the ins and outs, but winning is the agenda. So, that’s the first thing that’s on my mind.”
Brown arrives on a 76ers roster that finished 45-37 last season and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals before being swept by the eventual champion New York Knicks. Tyrese Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists in 70 games, while Joel Embiid averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds in 38 games.
Brown said his previous experience playing against Philadelphia gave him a clear understanding of the environment he is entering.
“The fan base here is incredible,” Brown said. “Like they really get behind the guys. It’s one of the harder playing arenas to be in.”
He also cited the talent already in Philadelphia, specifically Maxey and Embiid.
“Some of the best players in the league have been in Philadelphia and now we’re just all coming together,” Brown said. “So, I’m looking forward to the journey.”
Brown revealed that Maxey was among the first 76ers to contact him after the trade. He said the players now communicate almost daily through multiple group chats, with LeBron James also active in one of them.
“We all trying to figure this thing out,” Brown said. “I think everybody, you know, knows how, you know, incredible the opportunity that we have, but we also got to put in the work.”
Brown emphasized that Philadelphia’s collection of talent will not automatically produce results.
“Obviously on paper we’re excellent,” he said. “We have a lot of talent compared to other teams in the league but I’ve been around long enough to know that just what you have on paper don’t really mean nothing.”
“It takes real work every single day in order to make something like this happen.”
That mindset also applies to his role alongside Maxey, Embiid and James. Brown said the 76ers do not need to determine “whose team” it is, but instead must establish “respect and work.”
“To win, you got to be able to sacrifice,” Brown said. “You got to be able to, you know, have trust and communication.”
Brown also addressed his scoring role after averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game for Boston in 2025-26, finishing fourth in the NBA in scoring.
“My focus is winning,” Brown said. “At no point at this point in my career, nothing else is really moves me. Like I don’t really I don’t care about the outside success.”
“I don’t care about the MVP awards or finals MVP. None of that stuff really moves me. It’s nice, but the only thing that’s going to move me is doing something collectively. So a championship.”
Brown also spoke about the six-week process surrounding his departure from Boston, acknowledging the public scrutiny while declining to detail the trade negotiations.
“Obviously it’s a lot of speculation. I feel no need to chime in on it because I’m focused on what’s in front of me,” Brown said.
He expressed gratitude for his decade in Boston while making his next priority clear.
“I’m very grateful for my experience, my tenure in Boston,” Brown said. “10 years is a perfect cycle, perfect number for, you know, completion. So, now we won a championship.”
“I have nothing but respect for the city of Boston, but now, it’s time to move forward a little bit.”
