On First Take on Friday, Stephen A. Smith, ESPN’s leading source of hot air, dramatically read a text “reporting” that an NBA source had told him “people don’t like Celtics star Jaylen Brown because he has a big ego and that’s why he’s not marketable.
“It’s not that he’s underrated. He’s just not liked because of his I-am-better-than-you attitude,” Smith dramatically read off his phone.
The idea that an athlete’s ego would ever hinder an athlete’s marketability is obviously laughable. Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tom Brady aren’t lacking for ego or advertising gigs despite their I-am-better-than-you attitudes.
But sitting at the podium with Larry Bird Trophy in hand after the Celtics swept the Pacers, Brown wasn’t hiding the fact that he does believe he’s better than he gets credit for. In fact, he’s fueled by slights and lack of respect.
If this is how he’s responding to it, the Celtics should encourage more detractors to blow up Stephen A. Smith’s phone. Brown said he doesn’t care about how people perceive him. But his answers suggest otherwise.
Was he surprised he was voted the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and won the Larry Bird Trophy (which was named for another player with healthy self-esteem who turned out alright)?
“I wasn’t expecting it at all, you know, I’ll never win (expletive),” said Brown, who was a controversial omission last week from the All-NBA teams, too.
How does he deal with criticism?
“I just embrace all forms of negativity or whatever the case is, some stuff I don’t understand, it ain’t meant for me to understand it,” said Brown, who challenged Smith to reveal his source. “But I just know who I am and what I stand for. Sometimes, it makes people feel uncomfortable and sometimes I miss out on opportunities, awards marketing deals or whatever the case may be.”
Does he think his defensive play and his reputation as more than a scorer has improved?
“I think I’m one of the best two way wings, guards in this game,” Brown said. “I took the matchup. I picked up guys full court. I chased guys off screens. I battle with bigs and I should have been All-Defensive. That probably hurt me the most because that’s one of the things that I wanted to be. As time has gone by, I stopped caring and I just embrace it. I don’t care who sees what as long as my team knows my value, my city knows my value and my family. That’s all I, that’s all I really care about.”
He hasn’t stopped caring and he shouldn’t stop caring. There are players who wilt in the shadow of criticism and those who rage against it. Hall of Fames are filled with the latter. Brown should keep raging against it. Keep listening to the gas bags on TV and keep playing like he did against the Pacers.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
