Jaylen Brown honors his late grandmother with heartfelt toast at Time 100 Next Gala

Jaylen Brown’s grandmother passed away in March 2023. As a very important person in his life, the All-Star forward continues to honor her memory at every opportunity.

On October 9, Brown attended the TIME100 Next Gala in New York, an event that brings together leaders from all facets of life. While at the Gala, he delivered a speech in which he paid tribute to his late grandmother. He applauded her for the work she did during her life and credited her for instilling in him a strong sense of community.

“My grandmother instilled community into me,” Brown said. “I watched her dedicate herself to making her community a better place.”

Brown ended his speech by asking the crowd to cheer for his grandmother and jokingly mentioned the Celtics championship win as well. He also took to social media to touch on how much he still misses his grandmother.

Jaylen Brown’s comment

Following the Gala, Brown will begin preparing for this upcoming NBA season. Alongside Jayson Tatum, he and the Celtics will attempt to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2018.

Jaylen Brown’s heartfelt dream of his grandmother during the NBA Finals

After a dominant regular season run, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics finally broke through to secure a championship. Following their title win, Brown reflected on a heartfelt moment with his late grandmother.

During his postgame press conference after Game 5, Brown was asked about celebrating with family. He responded by saying he wished his grandmother could have been there with him. Brown then shared how she appeared to him in a dream leading up to the title victory.

“I wish my grandmother was here with me to see this moment,” Brown said. “I woke up from a pre-game nap and I had dream and my grandma was in the dream and she gave me a hug. I just knew everything was gonna be alright.”

Brown played a key role in the Celtics’ NBA Finals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, earning Finals MVP honors after several standout performances on both ends of the floor.

Of all his outings, Brown’s play in Game 3 stands out the most. On the road in Dallas, he notched 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a win for the Celtics. Brown did it all for the Celtics in the series clincher, posting a stat line of 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.

With this feat, Jaylen Brown joins the likes of Larry Bird and Paul Pierce as Celtics players who won Finals MVP.