The Boston Celtics didn’t come to Los Angeles to be polite. They came to win — and they absolutely demolished the Lakers 111-89 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night.
Jaylen Brown went nuclear with a monster 32-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist, 4-steal masterpiece. Payton Pritchard dropped 30 off the bench and added another buzzer-beater to his growing collection. Boston is rolling, and nobody is stopping them right now.
But the real moment that blew up the internet happened after the final horn.
LeBron Addresses His Relationship With Brown… and Drops the Viral NSFW Line
When asked about Brown’s ridiculous season, LeBron didn’t hold back on the praise. He called his game “great,” pointed out how motivated Brown has been after everyone wrote Boston off, and straight-up made a case for him as an MVP candidate.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/2025763955042611369
Then came the caveat that nobody saw coming — and it immediately went viral.
“Our relationship has been pretty respectful,” James said. “Besides the shit he said about Bronny at Summer League. But other than that, we’ve been all right.”
LeBron was referencing the 2024 NBA Summer League moment in Las Vegas when Brown was caught on camera telling WNBA stars Angel Reese and Kysre Gondrezick that he didn’t think Bronny James was an NBA pro. The clip exploded, and clearly LeBron hasn’t forgotten.
When pressed if the two had moved past it, LeBron smiled and added, “We’ll be all right. I think he went on social media and said something about it. It’s all good. Bronny’s got a long way to go, but that’s another story.”
Embed X: https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/2025751003002196026
Brown did respond back then, posting that Bronny has all the tools around him to succeed — and LeBron acknowledged the post on Sunday night. Receipts on both sides.
LeBron Makes Brown’s MVP Case Anyway
The Bronny line stole the headlines, but LeBron’s most telling comments were about what Brown is actually doing this season.
“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well,” James said. “Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he’s averaging what, 30? Just under 30? It’s a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was on the same page before tip-off, saying of Brown: “There’s just no holes in his game.”
Brown heard the praise and responded with confidence: “I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world… it’s an honor for LeBron — who’s arguably the best player to ever play the game — to give me some high praise.”
The numbers don’t lie. Brown is averaging career-highs of 29.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in his 10th NBA season. Against the Lakers he added another 30+ point game — putting him in the top four league-wide this year.
A Decade in the Making
The respect between the two goes back ten years. Brown revealed at All-Star Weekend that a young LeBron once pulled him aside and quietly told him he was going to be an All-Star one day. Brown brought it up again when they shared the floor this season.
“We talked about it at the All-Star game,” Brown said. “You remember that ten years ago? And he smiled, of course, I’m not surprised at anything you doing right now. Just keep proving people wrong.”
Final Word
Jaylen Brown said he would be an All-Star. He delivered. He said he’s the best two-way player on the planet. The stats keep backing him up every single night.
And on Sunday night, after taking a 22-point loss, LeBron James — the greatest of all time — looked Brown in the eye and basically said: “I told you so.”
The Celtics are rolling. Jaylen Brown is proving everyone wrong.
And that one NSFW quote from LeBron? It’s already everywhere.