Even Celtics fans will love Jaylen Brown's story about LeBron James

Jaylen Brown's time at Wheeler High School helped to shape the man he is today. It's not just a basketball powerhouse; it's a highly regarded academic institution. It's one with a diverse student body from different walks of life.

"I had so many different experiences. Wheeler's a mix of a lot of different worlds," said Brown, Saturday morning, after the Boston Celtics held shootaround at State Farm Arena. "My experiences definitely prepared me for life."

And with the Celtics set to face the Atlanta Hawks in "The Peach State," it gave the school he starred for a chance to celebrate the Marietta, Georgia, native by retiring his No. 0 jersey.

A day later, Brown shared the message he wanted to deliver to the students who sat in front of him at the school's gymnasium.

"It was great. I just wanted to give some words of wisdom, some inspiration to let them know, despite their circumstances, they can use their platform, or they can continue to beat the odds," said Brown. "A lot of public schools, I feel like the system's kind of betting on half of those kids not to succeed. So just being able to have them have the awareness, give them the tools so that they can navigate life a little better."

Jaylen Brown's moment of choice

The four-time All-Star entered high school with academic credits already. He was accelerated in math and science and took classes with Sophomores as a freshman.

A year later, Brown took the PSATs. What stemmed from that required him to think on his feet.

"I remember I took the PSAT my sophomore year, and I scored, like, in the top-10 percentile," recalled Brown. "I got all these camps that I could go to for math or science that I was eligible for, and they gave them to me in my homeroom. And I remember seeing the dates; they were at the same time as the LeBron Camp. So, I remember stuffing them at the bottom of my book bag. They never got to my Mom. She would've probably sent me there.

"And then, they had a parent-teacher conference, like a few months later, and they were asking, 'Did you ever get the packages or whatever that we sent? Jaylen was eligible to go. He's a mathlete. He was able to go to the Science Olympiad Camp, whatever. And she was like, 'No, I never got them.'"

When confronted about it, Brown responded, 'They didn't give them to me. I don't know what happened to them,' thinking to himself, "We [are] going to LeBron Camp."

Considering his ability to balance basketball, academics, and off-court endeavors, it's fair to say it all worked out well. Brown took master's classes as a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley. Now in his tenth season in the Association, he has blossomed into an NBA Finals MVP, one who is now a regular-season MVP candidate. He has also uplifted communities with his 7uice Foundation, Bridge Program, and Boston and Oakland XChange initiatives.

One can trace much of what Brown has built back to the role Wheeler High School played in shaping him.