A trade can change a career in seconds. Processing it often takes much longer. Jaylen Brown admitted his first reaction to leaving the Boston Celtics wasn’t calm acceptance but pure disbelief. As he began his Philadelphia 76ers chapter, he also reflected on something that had followed him throughout his decade in Boston:

The feeling that he had become the franchise’s favorite scapegoat whenever things went wrong.

“When I first got traded, I just threw my phone across the room,” Brown said, recalling the moment he learned about the trade, speaking at the introductory press conference at Francis J. Myers Recreation Center. He said before explaining that Tyrese Maxey was among the first people to reach out. 

“Max, he reached out to me first. You know, he reached out and was like, ‘I know it’s a lot of stuff going on right now, um, but, you know, we’re excited to have you’ and stuff like that.” 

Brown further added that rookie V.J. Edgecombe also contacted him, providing an immediate reminder that his next chapter had already begun.

The shock of the trade wasn’t the only thing weighing on him.

Jaylen Brown also reflected on the pressure that came with spending ten seasons in Boston, where championship expectations rarely leave room for patience.

“I played in Boston for the last 10 years, and the pressure is high there,” Brown said.

“It’s title town; they expect to win every single year, and they’re always looking for someone to blame. Some of those years, it was me. I’ve been through that.”

That statement offered a revealing glimpse into how Jaylen Brown viewed his relationship with both the city and the media.

Throughout his Celtics career, he often found himself at the center of criticism after playoff disappointments or difficult stretches during the regular season.

Recently, the media dragged him into controversy after he called this past season his favorite. Many have pointed to that reaction as having snowballed into the trade that eventually followed.

Whether fair or not, Jaylen Brown felt the spotlight regularly shifted toward him whenever the team fell short of its championship expectations.

Rather than allowing that scrutiny to define him, he gradually changed how he responded to it.

His approach changed over time.

“At this point now, I probably ignore a lot of it or just like kinda let it just be 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.”

Speaking on his own platform allowed him to communicate without headlines or outside interpretation shaping the message. However, for Jaylen Brown, conversation has never centered on public perception.

“All I come with is my work ethic, my mentality, impact on winning, and that’s just my approach. Nothing else matters. How do we win games?”

The Sixers now offer a different environment, but not necessarily an easier one.

The 76ers carry championship aspirations of their own, and Brown arrives as one of the franchise’s biggest additions alongside LeBron James.

Expectations won’t disappear. If anything, they will grow louder as the Sixers attempt to make the most with the current roster.

But JB isn’t the same person who first arrived in Boston.