Jaylen Brown’s been through All-Star snubs and trade rumors, but nothing quite like this. Because JB might’ve just made the NBA’s funniest call of the year. In the middle of a livestream, Brown picked up his phone and called LeBron James for advice on Turkish hair restoration. 

“It’s real, chat. I’m about to call LeBron motherf—— speaker… You don’t answer. So I’m gonna leave a voicemail,” Brown joked before leaving a voicemail that instantly broke the internet. “LeBron, it’s Lil Bro. Call me back. We got some real sh– to talk about. It’s a code red… Turkey or no turkey?” Brown said, referencing hair restoration treatments abroad.

He then continued, “And I ain’t talking about no cheese sandwich. It’s some real sh–, bro. Call your little bro back. Put all the other sh– in the past.” The humor hit harder given their recent history.

Earlier this year, in February, Brown and LeBron had a moment, and not the good kind. During the All-Star Game, LeBron’s warm greetings skipped right over Brown, offering only a quick dap before moving on. Days later, fans resurfaced Brown’s viral summer clip, doubting Bronny James’ NBA potential.

“I don’t think Bronny (James) is a pro,” he said in the clip. And by now, we know how personally offended Dad James gets when it comes to criticism of his children. The two moments formed a subtle tension that doesn’t require headlines to exist. 

So when Brown called LeBron James this week, it felt like a truce. Especially since Brown’s comments about Bronny never fully faded, even after his follow-up post praising LeBron’s legacy. That “call your little bro back” sounded playful, sure, but there was a realness under the punchline.

And yet, Jaylen Brown might actually need this light moment more than ever. With Jayson Tatum sidelined because of an Achilles injury, Brown is once again carrying the Celtics on his shoulders.

“I think this is the year for Jaylen Brown… to show that he could carry a franchise because he’s been asking for this for the longest,” said team legend Eddie House. Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last season, but now they come with the expectation of leadership.

Is Celtics stress catching up to Jaylen Brown’s hairline?

So, naturally, the question shifts from whether he can be the guy, rather than just one of the guys. This season, Brown is averaging 26.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 50.0%. On top of that, Jaylen Brown’s hairline is still managing the internet’s obsession.

A few days before the LeBron call, cameras caught Brown’s hair product smudging onto opponents’ jerseys twice. First, OG Anunoby’s, then Ronald Holland II’s. Fans called it “paint defense.” Brown blamed the stress.

“I blame Boston. 10 years of media, stress, championship. This is y’all fault,” he said on the livestream. The viral streak has turned into a running joke, but behind the humor lies the exhaustion of a star who has constantly been watched and meme’d.

And this isn’t the first time a player has been noticed using hair spray. Carlos Boozer, during his time with the Chicago Bulls, used a spray-on hair product when his hair was thinning/balding. He later admitted the result “looked like shoe polish” on his scalp.

Meanwhile, LeBron’s long-time barber, Nick Castemanos, who cuts LeBron’s hair, has publicly insisted, “There is no dye. No additives. No preservatives … Everyone thinks he’s dying his hair using [temporary hair colorings] Bigen or Black Ice. It’s all his hair.”

That’s what makes the LeBron moment oddly human. Here’s a player who’s been mocked, and yet still finds a way to laugh, even when the laugh comes with a side of awkward history. He called the one person whose approval might matter most, not for validation, but for advice about, well, follicles.

If LeBron picks up that call, or even texts back, maybe there’s a new chapter waiting to be written between the two. For now, Brown’s voicemail stands as a perfect reflection of his current moment, being just complicated enough to feel real.

And if “Turkey or no turkey” turns into a LeBron response, the NBA’s next great crossover might not be on the court, but on the timeline.