Jaylen Brown got emotional.
A dream hug from a grandmother, who passed away last year, will do that.
The Celtics won the NBA Championship. Brown was named NBA Finals MVP. Even though those are lifetime achievements, something was missing.
Brown’s grandmother was not there to see it.
Brown was brought to tears at the end of his press conference Monday night after the Celtics won the NBA championship in five games with a 106-88 victory over the Mavericks. He reflected on his grandmother, Dianne Varnado, who died in March 2023.
“I wish my grandmother was here with me to see this moment,” Brown said. “But I woke up from my pregame nap, and I had a dream, and my grandma was in the dream, and she gave me a hug this afternoon. I just knew everything was going to be all right.
“But I wish she could be here. But she was so important and pivotal in my life. And it’s just awesome. I know she would be proud of me. Grandma, I know she was watching, and I love you so much.”
With that, he wiped away a tear.
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Brown, from Marietta and who played at Wheeler High School, wore a shirt with a photo of his grandmother during a recent practice before the clinching win. His mother and brother were in attendance.
Brown, 27, delivered throughout Boston’s series against the Mavericks. He had 21 points and eight rebounds in the Game 5 clincher. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the Finals. He was also the primary defender on Luka Doncic.
Winning the Finals MVP was especially meaningful to Brown. The award is named for the late Bill Russell, the Celtics great known for his involvement in social justice causes. Brown shares the same passion. He was named MVP on seven of the 11 ballots.
“To be honest, I can’t even put it into words,” Brown said. “Just Bill Russell and what he’s meant for me through my Boston journey, and his spirit. You know, everything that he stood for, just for this to be the Bill Russell MVP Award, it just — I’ve got nothing, man. I don’t even know what to say. It’s unreal.”
In 2020, Brown drove 15 hours from Boston to lead a peaceful protest march in Atlanta at the height of the social justice movement. He was joined by former NBA player and local product Malcolm Brogdon and rapper Lil Yachty on the march that began at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.
After Game 1, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called Brown the Celtics’ best player. Some considered the bold statement an attempt to stir up controversy. After all, Jayson Tatum earned First-Team All-NBA honors this season whereas Brown missed the All-NBA entirely.
Maybe Kidd was right.
That didn’t matter to Brown.
“I can’t even put into words — the emotions,” Brown said. “It’s just I’m blessed and I’m grateful. This was a full team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. It’s just amazing. You know, it could have gone to anybody.”
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