Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving were often at odds when they were teammates with the Celtics, but their relationship has improved since Irving left for the Nets, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown was among Irving’s most vocal defenders during his eight-game suspension last month for promoting an antisemitic film on social media.
“He’s a brother of mine,” Irving said. “I’m grateful to have a relationship off the court. True warriors when we go against each other. When I was in Boston, we didn’t really get a chance to get to know each other on a deeper level. So again, I’m just grateful that we’ve been able to build on top of a great foundation of relying on how we live our lives and how we treat people, so he’s a brother of mine.”
Brown stopped short of calling their relationship brotherly, Washburn adds, noting that they didn’t talk with each other before their teams met Sunday. Brown admitted they had problems when they were together, but said things are better now.
“Being a teammate of Kyrie, we got into it a lot,” he said. “We didn’t see eye to eye a majority of the time he was here. And since then it seems like our relationship (has improved). We’ve been able to have conversations. We’ve been able to talk to each other. We’ve been able to understand where he’s coming from.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Brown has a shot to earn All-NBA honors this season, which would qualify him for a super-max extension, notes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Brown’s current contract runs through 2024, and that extension would pay him an estimated $290MM over five years based on current cap estimates, according to Forsberg. We took a closer look during the summer at Brown and other potential super-max candidates to watch in 2022/23.
- A Nike spokesperson tells Shams Charania of The Athletic that the company has parted ways with Irving (Twitter link). Charania points out that Irving has one of the NBA’s most popular signature shoes.
- Celtics forward Blake Griffin was surprised to receive a tribute video in his return to Brooklyn, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Griffin spent a year and a half with the Nets before signing with Boston during the preseason. “True professional. I think he’s added to their group, to their locker room,” Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said. “Having guys like that (being) a part of your team that have been in playoff games and in meaningful games, there’s something to it. … That’s the kind of guy you want in your locker room.”
- Nets forward T.J. Warren played 17:53 Sunday in his second game after returning from foot injuries that sidelined him for nearly two years, and Vaughn expects him to remain on that minutes limit for a while, Lewis adds. “I don’t have a lockstep number, but seems like that 17 around there felt pretty good for him,” Vaughn said. “Maybe we start inching that up a little bit, hopefully. We want him to feel good for a little bit of a stretch before we do.”
Two guys who were on the same team and didn’t get to know each other, and now supposedly they are buds?
I’m calling BS.
We’ve been able to understand where he is coming from. First off, Irving knows exactly where he is coming from I’d bet, so that comment containing “we” is strange… Second, who is We then? This sports fluff is total B.S. Brown could care less about Irving probably unless he is an opponent in the playoffs, and vice versa. Its like a Mcdonalds worker in Michigan caring about the personal opinion of a Mcdonalds worker in Ohio. Unlikely
Well since Nike has ended their relationship with Kyrie, maybe he can partner with Kanye??? They seem to be kindred spirits.
Yeah those two will probably start making shoes in China with child labor. That would really be shameful.
Well Kyrie wouldn’t view it as a human rights violation but rather a youth education opportunity.
fubu.
Just curious, but what did Brown say in defense of Kyrie during the suspension?
Nov. 8: Said he didn’t believe Kyrie was antisemitic.
Nov. 10: Accused Nike of hypocrisy, given their own history of business practices, for saying they probably wouldn’t work with Kyrie again.
Nov. 15: Criticized Tsai for saying Kyrie had “more work to do,” and alluded to Tsai’s links to the Chinese government. (“Our society has more work to do, including Joe Tsai. It’s 2022. It takes 10 minutes of time to see who these business owners, corporations etc., who they’re associated with and who they’re doing business with, who they’re affiliated with.”)