After Jaylen Brown was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, there has been significant negative discourse surrounding his name. This afternoon, Celtics legend Isaiah Thomas came to Brown’s defense, sharing a brutally honest message on social media.’
Isaiah Thomas Defends Jaylen Brown Amid Negative Discourse
“It’s so nasty all the NEGATIVE things I’m seeing people say about Jaylen Brown!!!” Thomas wrote. “I don’t care how yall talk about bros game, it’s all opinion based anyway! Please stay away from talking about the PERSON and his character!!!! He’s real as they come! Don’t get it twisted people.”
It’s so nasty all the NEGATIVE things I’m seeing people say about Jaylen Brown!!! I don’t care how yall talk about bros game, it’s all opinion based anyway! Please stay away from talking about the PERSON and his character!!!! He’s real as they come! Don’t get it twisted people
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) July 2, 2026
The negative discourse began on Thursday morning when Colin Cowherd revealed that an NBA scout and an executive described Brown as having “a disease.”
Cowherd framed it as, “He suddenly thinks he’s the smartest guy in every room he’s in … You make a lot of money, suddenly you’re absolutely sure, you don’t wanna listen to your bosses, you don’t wanna listen to consultants, you don’t wanna listen to teammates.”
NBA sources believe Jaylen Brown thinks he’s the smartest person in the room, per @colincowherd
“I had two NBA sources … two people in the league, one an executive, one a scout, say that Jaylen Brown has — it’s a disease. He suddenly thinks he’s the smartest guy in every room… pic.twitter.com/aBhgNSfXiF
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 2, 2026
Thomas, who played alongside Brown when he was a rookie during the 2016–17 season in Boston, clearly does not appreciate anyone speaking negatively about his former teammate’s character.
He assured fans that Brown is as “real as they come” and reminded the NBA world that basketball conversations should remain focused on basketball, not players’ personalities, which outsiders are likely unfamiliar with.
On a separate note, there is not a whole lot that can be knocked about Brown’s play on the court. This past season, Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists during the 2025-26 campaign, all of which marked career highs.
The 29-year-old guard-forward led the Celtics to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, earning All-NBA Second Team honors and finishing sixth in MVP voting. Despite what anyone says about analytics or on-off numbers, Brown delivered an extremely special season.
