Jaylen Brown Reacts to 1st Game vs. Celtics Since Trade After LeBron, 76ers Lose Preseason Finale

Friday night marked Jaylen Brown's first time going up against the Boston Celtics in his NBA career following the offseason trade that sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers.

After dropping 20 points in the Sixers' 125-120 overtime loss in their preseason finale, Brown spoke to reporters about the first game against his former team.

'I played there for 10 years, so it will never be out of the way," Brown said.

"We're not where we want to be yet," Brown said about the 76ers after the loss, "So that's just a part of it. It's a part of coming together, a new group with a bunch of guys, different style, but we just got to keep getting better every day."

This was the second consecutive preseason contest between the two clubs, but Brown didn't play in the Oct. 10 game in Boston. His return to TD Garden won't come until Jan. 21 when the Celtics host Philadelphia.

Boston's decision to trade Brown came after he had the best season of his career in 2025-26.

Taking on a bigger share of the offense with Jayson Tatum out for most of the year rehabbing a torn Achilles, Brown averaged 28.7 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game in 71 starts. He set career-highs in scoring average, assists and tied his career-high in rebounds.

Brown finished sixth in MVP voting, but the Celtics opted to send him to Philadelphia in a package for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

During his tenure in Boston, Brown helped the franchise win the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season. He was named MVP of both the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals during that run.

Based on how Brown performed in the preseason, he looks to be carrying over his strong play from last year to the Sixers. The 29-year-old averaged 20.0 points on 58.3 percent shooting in three games.

Since the 76ers also have Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, Brown won't have to carry as much of the offensive burden this season as he did in his final year with the Celtics.

Brown will get his first opportunity to play against Boston in a regular-season setting on Nov. 10 when the Sixers host the Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena. His first game as a visiting player at TD Garden won't come until Jan. 21.

Philadelphia will tipoff the 2026-27 season on Tuesday against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.