Veteran guard Patrick Beverley didn’t hold back Tuesday night, openly accusing the NBA of deliberately undermining Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s legitimate shot at the 2026 MVP award.
“The league don’t want you to get MVP Sir it’s Really sad because you deserve it this year💐💐💐,” Beverley posted on X while reacting to Brown’s shocking ejection in the Celtics’ 125-116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The controversy exploded in the second quarter of a nationally televised showdown between two of the league’s hottest teams. Brown was hit with back-to-back technical fouls and tossed from the game. The first technical came after he stepped out of bounds while being defended by Spurs rookie Stephon Castle. Brown immediately protested, insisting Castle had fouled him and that the Celtics never lost possession. Officials disagreed.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/FCHWPO/status/2031538175399645523
On the very next possession, Brown continued arguing with referee Tyler Ford about the non-call. That’s when Ford issued the second technical—automatic ejection.
Brown later tweeted his frustration: “This the shit I be talking about.”
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had his star’s back 100 percent after the game.
“I just give a ton of credit to my high school principal. He had the balls to throw a student out. He didn’t leave it to the hall monitor,” Mazzulla said via ESPN. “I understand completely where Jaylen’s coming from. Absolutely. And I’ve got his back 100%. I think he was 100% right to be frustrated and do what he did.”
Jayson Tatum was visibly upset that officials would eject a superstar during prime-time basketball.
“I disagree with it,” Tatum told NBC Sports Boston. “The NBA makes a big deal about prime-time games and stars playing and being available. National TV game, two of the best teams in the league, and you make a big deal about stars playing, then you get trigger-happy and throw somebody out the game. I disagree with it.”
Derrick White was even more blunt.
“I think he got fouled, too,” White said. “He definitely earned the first one. I thought the second one was bullsh*t, honestly. You can’t throw out a guy who’s done so much for us all year, and in a game like this, especially. How do you throw him out? I think that was ridiculous.”
In its official pool report, the NBA stood by the decision. Crew Chief Tyler Ford claimed Brown “aggressively approached a game official while pointing and using profanity” on the second technical. On the initial non-call against Castle, Ford simply stated: “In live play we did not observe any illegal contact.”
Many analysts and fans immediately cried foul. Brown was facing off against fellow MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama in what was supposed to be a prime showcase for the award race. Instead, his night ended prematurely, crushing any momentum he might have built.
As of now, DraftKings lists Brown with the fifth-shortest odds to win MVP—behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić, and Cade Cunningham. Fans across social media called the ejection “a really sad nightmare for fairness,” echoing Beverley’s exact words and accusing the league of protecting certain narratives while sabotaging others.
Brown will get another chance to state his MVP case Thursday night when the Celtics host Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. But after Tuesday’s events, the basketball world is left wondering: how many more “coincidences” will it take before the NBA’s bias becomes impossible to ignore?