Jaylen Brown of the Celtics speaks out following his first-ever ejection
On Friday night, Jaylen Brown was ejected for the first time in his NBA career.
The star player for the Boston Celtics feels it never should have happened.
After arguing a call in the fourth quarter of the Boston Celtics game against the New York Knicks, Brown was given a technical foul and was later ejected for receiving a second technical foul when he went to the bench.
Though the Celtics prevailed 133-123, the game did not lessen Brown’s or Boston coach Joe Mazzulla’s feelings.
Brown answered reporters, “To be honest, I’m not sure,” when they asked why he was fired. But I wish I had received a better value for my money. My first professional rejection has always seemed like something a little more thrilling. Perhaps a brawl of some kind, guys get folded up and fall to the ground—this isn’t some overly sentimental referee having a rough day. The thing that bothers me the most is that I ought to have received my money’s worth.
When Brown appeared to protest after being called for a foul while guarding Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley on the perimeter, he was called for the first technical of the game. According to Mazzulla, an official informed him that Brown had said, “don’t call that weak-ass s—,” which prompted the technical foul, which confused the Celtics coach.
“I’ve been on the sidelines in the NBA for five years, and I’ve seen players act and say things that are way more disrespectful than that,” Mazzulla stated.
A pool reporter was informed by crew chief Mark Lindsay that the initial technical was for “use of profanity toward a game official.” The second one was for “a wave-off directed at the official, which under the respect of the game guidelines is considered an overt gesture and an unsportsmanlike act.”
Brown also doubted that.
“You could tell, his emotions were involved, XYZ, wanted to make it a back-and-forth,” Brown stated. “As I’m explaining to the referee, he calls the second tech from across the court, which is an obvious instance of someone abusing their position to try to have someone removed from the game. I believed it to be bullshit.”
Before he left, Brown scored 17 points, helping Boston improve to 10-0 at home. After missing four games due to a strained left calf, Derrick White added 30 points, and Kristaps Porzingis scored 21 in his comeback to the starting lineup.
