Jaylen Brown, a star player of the Boston Celtics, celebrated his 27th birthday with a heartfelt gesture by dedicating a basketball court at the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club in Boston to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi. This shows Bryant’s deep impact on younger generations. Brown has previously stated that Bryant was his motivation behind the 2019-2020 season.
It’s interesting to note that even though the Lakers and Celtics’ have a historical rivalry, Brown and Jayson Tatum, the current Celtics duo have expressed their respect and admiration for Bryant. It is clear that Kobe’s impact goes beyond team loyalties and it is something that is deeply rooted in the game itself.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown dedicated a basketball court to Kobe and Gigi Bryant at the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club in Boston 💜💛
(via @GwashburnGlobe) pic.twitter.com/FXfQp3FFpe
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 23, 2023
Brown’s decision to honor Kobe in Boston, which is close to 3,000 miles from L.A. highlights that Bryant’s influence is widespread. The choice of location ‘Beantown’ is meaningful as well because Kobe’s middle name is ‘Bean.’ This is a perfect example of how icons like Bryant can narrow the gap between traditional basketball rivalries, while also reaffirming their legacy.
Jaylen Brown pays tribute to Bill Russell with customized Kobe Bryant sneakers
Jaylen Brown made a different kind of statement during a recent preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets, which the Celtics easily won 127-99. This act goes beyond the scoreboard. Brown has the freedom to select his shoes for games because he is a sneaker-free agent, and he often picks custom designs that carry a deeper message.
For this match, Brown wore a pair of custom sneakers from Kobe Bryant’s signature line – the Nike Kobe 6 Protro in the rare ‘Grinch’ colorway. These shoes were first released in December 2020 at $190, but now they cost more than $700 in the resale market.
But Brown’s version was not just any regular Kobe 6 Protro. The Celtics guard customized his pair with tributes to Celtics’ legend, Bill Russell. The Nike ‘Swoosh’ was replaced with words like “5x NBA MVP,” “963 Regular Season Games Played,” and other honorable statistics from Russell’s successful career. The shoes were styled in black and gold.
Brown’s unique sneakers appeared like an attempt to combine the legacies of two basketball greats, Kobe Bryant and Bill Russel. Brown’s unique shoes show the respect he holds for the legends of the game. As the regular season comes closer, NBA fans can only speculate what other statements Jaylen Brown will make, both on and off the court.