NBA Star Jaylen Brown Accuses ESPN Of Being 'Unethical'

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jun 24, 2026 4:12 PM ET

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown appears to be developing a rivalry with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

After the Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, Brown referred to the 2025-26 season as his "favorite year" in Boston. That comment didn't sit well with Smith, who called out Brown during an episode of "First Take" in May.

“The Boston Celtics lost a 3-1 lead for the first time in its history and its star this season goes on camera 24 hours after losing and says this was his favorite year,” Smith said. “… He needs to be quiet unless you’re trying to get traded.”

Oct 27, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) smiles during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Brown fired back at Smith by saying he'll be quiet only if the ESPN personality retires.

“Tell this (expletive) to retire, because he’s the face of clickbait media,” Brown replied. “And maybe with his retirement, we could spark a movement to get the rest of these (expletives) out of here. Or to also have some type of, forget journalistic integrity, actual integrity in order to hold themselves accountable to the (expletive) takes they put out with no basis, no bias, no information. Just narrative. Just for the sake of just pushing a weak narrative. Just purely out of that.”

Although a month has passed since Brown's initial argument with Smith, their feud is far from over. In fact, Brown called out Smith during a recent event in France.

"ESPN is unethical, and Stephen A. Smith is the head face of that," Brown said. "The organization, the players, they were all in agreement. They all knew what I meant by that. Our team was basically salary dumped. We lost a lot of players."

Jaylen Brown could be on the move.

The Celtics offered Brown and two first-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even though their offer was declined, a blockbuster trade involving Brown could materialize in the future.

"If Brown becomes available, look for Houston and Atlanta to be at the front of the line for him, with a number of other teams — Portland has said it’s interested — in the mix," Kurt Helin of NBC Sports wrote. "The challenge will be matching his salary, which is $57.1 million next season and totals about $183 million over the next three years."

There's no question Smith will have something to say about Brown if he's traded this offseason.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: