Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown said in a new interview that he rejects the idea that professional athletes exist solely to entertain fans, reigniting a debate about how public figures in sports should be viewed.
Brown made the comments during a conversation with actor Mahershala Ali for a feature in The Hollywood Reporter. “I refuse to adopt the idea that me being an athlete, I’m just here to entertain people,” Brown said. “They want our athletes, our musicians, our entertainers, our people of influence to think that we just here for entertainment purposes. I’m going to forever disagree with that.”
The remarks are the latest in a pattern of public statements from Brown positioning himself as a cultural and intellectual figure beyond his role on the court. In a 2022 interview with The Ringer, Brown described how he believes people react to him. “When I open my mouth and talk, sometimes people say they are amazed of my intellect,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s because I truly speak in a way that people can understand or feel a certain way, or because they don’t expect it.”
Brown has also faced criticism over past comments and associations. When reports emerged that some NBA front-office personnel viewed his self-described intellectual persona unfavorably, Brown responded on Instagram Live: “No offense to everybody in sports, but the bar is f***ing low.”
Brown has previously said he was “undecided” on whether the Earth is flat during a period when teammate Kyrie Irving publicly questioned the shape of the planet. He also defended Irving after Irving faced backlash for promoting a film containing antisemitic material, and he continued to support Kanye West’s Donda Sports agency after other athletes and partners distanced themselves from it. Brown has also worn a magnetic necklace marketed as being able to alter the body’s energy frequency through a smartphone app.
Brown has clashed publicly with ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, telling him to “be quiet and retire” and calling him the “face of clickbait media.”
In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Brown said athletes were still expected to “shut up and dribble,” a phrase that has become shorthand in sports media for debates over whether athletes should speak on political and social issues.
