Why Winning NBA Finals MVP Had Extra Meaning To Jaylen Brown

BOSTON — It ended up being fitting that Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown won NBA Finals MVP.

The award is named after late Celtics legend Bill Russell, who made as much of an impact off the court as he did on the court. Brown, a social activist, draws inspiration from Russell, which gave the honor Brown received after Boston’s title-clinching 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks extra meaning.

“To be honest, I can’t even put it into words,” Brown said. “Just Bill Russell and what he’s meant for me through my Boston journey, and his spirit. Everything that he stood for, just for this to be the Bill Russell MVP Award, it just — I’ve got nothing, man. I don’t even know what to say. It’s unreal.”

Brown took home Finals MVP honors after averaging 20.8 points with 5.4 rebounds and five rebounds in the five games against the Mavericks. Brown also played stout defense, collecting 1.6 steals per game in the series.

But while Brown was appreciative of the individual accolade, he made sure to credit his teammates.

“I’m blessed and I’m grateful,” Brown said. “This was a full team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. It’s just amazing.”

Jayson Tatum was the only other member of the Celtics who received MVP votes. And Brown felt the award could have just as easily gone to his Celtics running mate, who had a terrific closeout performance by scoring a game-high 31 points to go along with 11 assists and eight rebounds.

“You know, it could have gone to anybody,” Brown said. “It could have gone to Jayson. I can’t talk enough about his selflessness. I can’t talk enough about his attitude. It’s just how he approached not just this series or the Finals but just the playoffs in general. And we did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing.”