Jaylen Brown recently returned home to "The Peach State." While there, he hosted a 741 pop-up event at Sole Play Gaming in Decatur. The Boston Celtics star also made an appearance on the radio station "V-103 Atlanta."
During the latter, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP discussed topics ranging from playing for the Atlanta Hawks to the difference in leadership styles between him and Jayson Tatum.
"Hearing somebody's voice, hearing somebody speaking life into you, letting them know that they [are] with you — all this type of stuff is like, you know, kind of what people relied on me for," voiced Brown in a detailed answer about the latter subject.
Brown also shared that Kobe Bryant was "one of my inspirations" and "one of the reasons I picked up a ball." That's not surprising, considering the late-great Basketball Hall of Famer's global influence. Bryant is at the heart of why many fell in love with the sport. For instance, he's also Tatum's childhood idol.
Kobe Bryant inspired Jaylen Brown to launch 741
What some might be more surprised to learn is that the five-time NBA champion is also the one who motivated Brown to start 741 Performance.
"I [had[ seen an article he put out, where he wanted to give athletes better deals and better percentages, and I just happened to stumble upon that article, and it was inspiring to me," said Brown. "I kind of just wanted to follow in his light and kind of do the same thing. So, I turned down a bunch of deals, started my own brand, looking to give athletes better percentages and better deals."
The four-time All-Star also shared that a version of his signature sneaker, the 'Rover,' includes an homage to Bryant as part of the design.
"A little easter egg in my shoe, the 'Rover,' is that the midsole is very similar to a Kobe midsole," said Brown. "I just wanted to infuse that just because Kobe was infused in a lot of the reasoning why I wanted to even do this."
Before launching 741 Performance and being able to take the court in his own signature sneaker, the Celtics' wing would often lace up a pair from Bryant's sneaker line. Now he gets to inspire athletes to follow suit and create their own platforms.
Seeing Brown make his own lane may help influence others to carry out their vision. That includes putting an original spin on something well-established. Perhaps it will lead to Brown's 741 products becoming an easter egg in someone else's creation.