NBA Star Jaylen Brown Says There's A Downside To Wealth That People Don't Talk About - 1wk ago

On Monday's episode of the "Boardroom" podcast, the basketball player spoke about how his success changed the way he viewed money and interacted with the people around him.

Brown began gaining recognition for his basketball skills at a young age, and his growing profile helped ease some of the financial pressure on his family.

"It wasn't necessarily monetary wealth, but you could see wealth was being accumulated," Brown said. “My mom didn't have to pay for camps anymore. At around 13 or 14 years old, I didn't have to pay for basketball sneakers anymore.”Brown started to get opportunities that many of his peers who, like him, grew up in single-parent households with limited resources and opportunities didn't have.

As his fame grew, he said he began noticing envy from those around him, and those dynamics became more complicated as he gained popularity and wealth.

Over time, he said, he developed a sense of stoicism to cope.

"Friends, family, they can let you down, man. They can disappoint you in ways and hurt you in ways that it changes you," he said. “The amount of money, the amount of clout, the amount of fame that you're able to acquire puts pressure on the people around you, especially the ones closest to you.”Conversations become invoices, the lines get blurred, and it gets tough," he said.

Brown said he had also experienced moments when he didn't feel like he could turn to the people around him for support because they assumed he had everything "figured out" and could afford "whatever" he needed.

But Brown said he couldn't always handle everything on his own. "You don't necessarily feel like you can ask for help," he said.

Brown was drafted third overall by the Boston Celtics in 2016. In 2023, he signed a five-year, $303.7 million contract extension with the team, per ESPN. He played 10 seasons in Boston before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in July.

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