The ongoing feud surrounding Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has taken another dramatic turn, with his father, Marselles Brown, publicly calling out ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins for their criticism of his son.
Appearing on Sway In The Morning, Brown’s father defended the Celtics star while making it clear he was unhappy with how national media figures have covered the All-NBA forward throughout the offseason.
“My son is educated enough to know what to say, what not to say, and what’s off-limits. And Big Perk, you wrong for jumping against your teammate, n***a. I don’t like that. Watch your mouth, boy.”
“He handled it the way he was supposed to. He’s always handled himself like a man, like a gentleman. Very respectful kids I raised, man. Let me tell you something. Very respectful kids, all of them. And the way he handled that kind of pressure, I commend him.”
“Because me, I’m different. I’m getting in your face, Stephen A. I’m coming to see you, Stephen A. I called you a couple of times, Stephen A., and you didn’t answer. But it’s okay. I just wanted to talk about it man to man. What’s your problem? Why are you attacking him? Why do you attack the Black community? Go attack the white community. Oh, that’s right. You’re getting that check to do that.”
The comments are the latest chapter in what has become one of the NBA’s biggest offseason media feuds.
The tension began after Brown livestreamed following Boston’s shocking first-round playoff collapse, calling the season one of his favorites despite the disappointing ending. Kendrick Perkins responded by claiming Brown’s comments had created friction inside the Celtics organization, saying several former players questioned Brown’s accountability.
Stephen A. Smith also criticized Brown publicly, warning him that if he wanted the media to report more aggressively, discussions about locker-room dynamics and organizational opinions would follow. Brown later fired back, accusing ESPN of leading unfair narratives against him and directly calling out Smith.
The Celtics star also found himself involved in another public dispute with ESPN analyst Bobby Marks after Marks referenced an anonymous analytics source who viewed Brown as only the seventh-best player on a championship team.
Brown immediately pushed back on social media.
“Analytics nowadays used to discredit and control narratives,” Brown wrote. “None of these guys better than me on both ends. Who does he work for?”
Brown also pointed to his winning resume.
“Nobody has won more combined regular season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago.”
Marks later clarified that he personally considers Brown a top-10 player and said his comments had been taken out of context. Brown remained unconvinced, repeatedly asking Marks to “state your source.”
The criticism comes despite Brown producing the best season of his NBA career. The 2024 Finals MVP averaged a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while leading Boston to 57 wins despite Jayson Tatum missing most of the season recovering from an Achilles injury.
At the same time, Brown has become the center of constant trade speculation after reports revealed the Celtics discussed including him in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package before eventually setting an asking price of at least four first-round picks in potential negotiations.
With trade rumors continuing to swirl and public debates surrounding his value refusing to disappear, Brown has largely allowed his play to speak for itself. Now, his father has stepped forward, making it clear he believes the criticism has gone far beyond basketball.
