Donovan Mitchell didn’t waste any time firing back at Colin Cowherd’s latest comments about Jaylen Brown, as he made it clear that the comments crossed a major line. Brown has not even arrived in Philadelphia, and he’s already facing the wrath of criticism from around the league, as an anonymous NBA executive and scout questioned his personality.
But Mitchell did not stand for it as he fired back on social media.
“Critique basketball all you want… but disease is insane… we gotta stop letting people just say whatever… cmon man!”
Mitchell’s comments weren’t about disagreeing with pure basketball criticism. Players get judged every day, and Brown has been at the center of trade rumors for weeks before his move to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the wording of Cowherd’s comments that bothered Mitchell.
Speaking on his show, Colin Cowherd revealed two league sources offered sharp criticism of the newly acquired 76ers star.
“I had two NBA sources tell me tonight, one an executive and one a scout, that Jaylen Brown has… it’s almost like a disease. He suddenly thinks he’s the smartest guy in every room he’s in.”
“I’ve worked with people in the media like that. It’s a really bad place to be. You make a lot of money, and suddenly you’re absolutely convinced you’re right about everything.”
“You don’t want to listen to your bosses. You don’t want to listen to consultants. You don’t want to listen to your teammates. Jalen has kind of.”
“And by the way, one executive told me this has always been a little bit of Jalyen Brown’s personality. He wants to be the smartest guy in the room.”
“Then you add live streaming and putting everything out there. That’s just not a good place to be. There used to be a saying that nothing good happens after three in the morning.”
“Now I’d say nothing good happens when pro athletes go live on social media. It’s just trouble. Stay away from it. You need PR people. Even with what I do, when you’re emotional or in a terrible mood, don’t go live.”
It was rather a very harsh criticism.
Brown has never been your typical NBA star. Long before he became a four-time All-Star and a Finals MVP, he built a reputation for being intellectually curious. He graduated at the top of his class from Wheeler High School, served as president of his school’s chess club, and chose the University of California, Berkeley over several traditional basketball colleges.
And there his approach was unique. Instead of sticking to basic courses during his freshman year, Brown enrolled in graduate-level classes. That same academic reputation followed him into the NBA. Some scouts questioned whether he was too smart for professional basketball.
Even after joining the NBA, Brown has lectured at Harvard and participated in research and tech programs at MIT. Those accomplishments have made him one of the most unique personalities, but they have also made him a polarizing figure.
The timing of these comments also matters.
The Sixers acquired Brown in one of the biggest trades of the offseason, sending Paul George and draft picks to Boston in exchange for the All-NBA wing.
Brown is coming off the best statistical season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while earning All-NBA Second Team honors and finishing sixth in MVP voting. At 29 years old, he is also significantly younger than George.
Now Brown begins a new chapter with a different organization while facing questions that have little to do with his production on the floor.
Mitchell’s message reflected a bigger picture that many players have repeated over the years. Basketball analysis is part of the job, but there is a fine line that analysts should not cross.
