Jaylen Brown Talks About Jayson Tatum After Winning Finals MVP

After entering the Finals as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown can now add the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to his trophy case, capping off a signature season that started after Brown signed the richest contract in league history.

Averaging 20.8 points on 44% shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals in five games against the Dallas Mavericks, Brown won over the voters consistently on both ends. His defense, couple with efficient scoring, gave him the slight edge over his All-NBA teammate Jayson Tatum (22.2 points on 38.8% shooting, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists).

"I can't even put into words the emotions. I'm blessed, and I'm grateful. This was a full team effort," Brown said with the Bill Russell statue next him. "We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of the floor. We came out and just performed on our own floor. It was just amazing. It could have gone to anybody. It could have gone to Jayson. I can't talk enough about his selflessness, I can't talk enough about his attitude, and how he approached, not just this series, the finals, but the playoffs in general. We did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing"

- Jaylen Brown after winning MVP

Brown, who's played seven of his eight NBA seasons alongside Tatum, reached the Eastern Conference finals six times before winning a championship. The two were teammates for five of those six appearances, including one trip to the NBA Finals, where the Celtics fell short to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in 2022.

"Just our growth together, we've been through a lot. We've been playing together for seven years now. We've been through a lot," Brown said when asked about what winning a championship alongside Tatum says about the All-Star duo. "The losses, the expectation, the media has said all types of things, "We can't play together," "We're never going to win," we heard it all, you know. But we just blocked it out. We just kept going. I trusted him, he trusted me, and we did it together. To get to this point, and share that experience is just awesome. It feels great."

- Jaylen Brown on winning with Tatum

Brown agreed to a five-year, $286.2 million contract before 2023-24. It's a deal that kicks in at the start of next season, and Jaylen's proven he's worth every penny despite not earning a spot on any All-NBA team. However, he used it as motivation throughout the postseason, and even though he admitted that winning MVP of the Eastern Conference finals came as a surprise, he should feel somewhat vindicated.

"The doubters may be quieted now but they'll be back. They'll probably be back next year with something else to say," Brown said. "We just all embrace that moment the same, and get after it yet again.""

- Jaylen Brown

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