Jaylen Brown Issues 1st Statement Since 76ers Trade, 'Still Processing' End of Celtics Tenure

Jaylen Brown has issued his first public comments after he was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I'm still processing how this all went down," he said in a statement released Thursday. "I'm excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.

"... Saying goodbye isn't easy when you've invested your heart into something. I'm big on respect and actions speak louder than words."

He also looked ahead to joining the 76ers.

"I'm excited for what's ahead and grateful for the opportunity to join Philadelphia. Every city has its own identity, its own passion, and its own expectation. I respect that, and I'm looking forward to earning that respect the only way I know how—through the work."

Brown's focus on respect is notable considering he turned heads when he liked an Instagram comment calling for Boston to trade him to "a city who respects him."

Perhaps he wasn't pleased he was included in the Celtics' trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Perhaps he wasn't pleased when ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the Celtics were "very motivated" to trade the five-time All-Star and "offering him everywhere."

After all, Brown did a significant amount for the franchise that selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft and seemed well on his way to becoming a franchise icon.

At 29 years old, his resume includes a championship, NBA Finals MVP, an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, two All-NBA selections and five All-Star nods. He is also coming off his best individual season in which he finished sixth in MVP voting and carried the team for extended stretches with Jayson Tatum sidelined.

In all, Brown averaged career-highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1) per game as an All-NBA Second Team selection.

Jaylen Brown Throws It Down

00:11

Yet the Celtics decided to move on, which is excellent news for the 76ers.

Philadelphia will add Brown to a lineup that includes Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe as it attempts to make a run in an Eastern Conference that is shaping up to be far more competitive than last season.

The 76ers will be a part of that competitive nature of the conference seeing how their roster appears stronger than it was a season ago. Brown is motivated to earn the respect of his new team's fans if his statement is any indication, even if he is still processing his departure from the only NBA team he had previously known.