Jaylen Brown addresses character attacks at 76ers presser: 'Saying I had a disease'

The last question Jaylen Brown fielded at his introductory press conference with the Philadelphia 76ers gave him a chance to address the personal attacks he dealt with this offseason.

"I feel like I've dealt with that for a while, internally, externally. I just choose to not focus on [that]," said Brown.

When you star in a sports-crazed region, scrutiny comes with the territory. That helped him mold the mindset that empowered the now-former Boston Celtics wing -- who leaves behind a locker room where many are sad to see him go -- to deal with the sharper jabs that came his way this summer, as his name was again at the center of trade chatter.

Some of that criticism was aimed at his impact on the court. Earlier this offseason, ESPN's Bobby Marks shared that someone in an NBA team's analytics department told him they view Brown as the seventh-best player on a team.

This is an individual two years removed from getting named Finals MVP. For anyone to believe that's where he slots in on any roster in the Association is assinine.

And it wasn't just Brown's on-court abilities that were under siege. People attacked his character too.

"Obviously, it got to a threshold this offseason that was a little bit higher than it's been in the past, right?" voiced Brown at his first press conference as a Sixer. "Where I think people attacked my character. Someone even went as far as saying I had a disease."

The side of Jaylen Brown's trade to the 76ers that isn't talked about

Thursday, the now-former Celtics star described what he's going through as a "crazy process."

He isn't just referring to the barrage of personal and professional slights that have come his way. In this case, his comments are more about the side of this trade that is easy to lose sight of or disregard.

Brown's family was living in Boston. They all now had to uproot and must acclimate to a new community. As he acknowledged, it's a part of life; one that many deal with. Moving to a new city is still a significant change.

It's also a relocation that brings him to a rival. He has spent his decade in the NBA trained to hate the 76ers. They repeatedly went to battle, including multiple times in the postseason.

Brown and the Celtics played a direct role in "the process" failing. Now, his mission is to help Joel Embiid win a championship.

That's a lot to go through, all while absorbing the heightened attacks on his game and his character this offseason.

While this is an individual who uses offenses, whether they're real or he had to invent them, as fuel, his answer made clear that, as frustrating as the narrative about him this summer has been, he's taking it in stride, not letting the off-base commentary mess with his mind.

For a more accurate glimpse into who he is, the five-time All-Star chose to hold his introductory press conference with the Sixers at the Francis J Myers Rec Center. He wanted this to be in the community and invited local kids to attend.

Unlike the attacks he faced, that gesture accurately illustrates his character. It was reminiscent of when he signed his supermax extension with the Celtics. Brown chose to do so at MIT, the home of his Bridge Program. There, he had his students and civil rights icon John Carlos with him at the press conference.

Fair criticism of his performance on the court is one matter; to smear a person who invests so heavily in elevating his communities is another. Saying he has a "disease" crossed a line.

Yet for all that has come his way this offseason, Brown's answer to his final question at the podium reinforced that this is an individual who remains assured of himself and won't let the toxic discourse he had to handle seep into his mind like poison. Instead, who he is, what he's about, and what he's now focused on delivering for Philadelphia remains clear.

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