Jaylen Brown is a busy man, as he has many ambitions and endeavors beyond being an NBA superstar, and he’s making waves with a revolutionary new venture. On Tuesday morning, Kris Pursiainen of ClutchPoints reported that Brown will be the owner and GM for the Atlanta-based franchise in the new Ones Basketball League, spearheaded by Tracy McGrady.
BREAKING:
— Kris Pursiainen (@krispursiainen) April 7, 2026
Tracy McGrady has informed @ClutchPoints that Celtics star Jaylen Brown will be Team Atlanta's owner/GM in his new Ones Basketball League.
The NBA Hall of Famer told me exclusively that Brown is a "special leader" whose familiarity with the city made the choice easy: pic.twitter.com/63J5MPd91w
Other forms of basketball have gained popularity recently, with three-on-three becoming an Olympic sport and the women’s Unrivaled league experiencing success. T-Mac wants to capitalize on the opportunity and take basketball back to its roots, embracing one-on-one battles that make the game great.
The league has been on hiatus since 2022, but McGrady is bringing the OBL back with the Battle of the Cities, which begins in May with eight teams from eight different cities. The teams will feature three players each, and they’ll compete in one-on-one games against the other cities.
Prior to Tuesday, we knew seven of the league's owner/GMs already: Jadakiss in New York, John Wall in Raleigh, Muggsy Bogues in Baltimore, Tim Hardaway Sr. in Miami, Quinn Cook in Washington DC, Larenz Tate in Chicago, and Vince Carter in Orlando. Until now, the eighth and final owner/GM was unknown, but we now know it will be none other than JB, repping T-Mac, with whom he is very close, 1-on-1 culture, and his hometown of Atlanta.
Brown a perfect fit for Ones Basketball League
Jaylen is a great ambassador for the game of basketball and also for the culture that McGrady is trying to showcase on a global scale. Don’t worry, Celtics fans, he won’t play in the league, but once the Celtics season ends, it won’t be surprising to see him as a mainstay at league events.
It’s a great opportunity for JB to get in on the ground level, as he follows a path paved by current WNBA players, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who famously and successfully founded the Unrivaled league, which has done wonders for women’s basketball.
The NBA is thriving, and Brown is reaching new heights as an MVP candidate this season, but he’s always looking to expand his brand and promote causes that he believes in. The OBL checks every box for JB, as he gets to work with people he respects on a project he’s obviously passionate about.
This is great news all around, and an exciting new venture for Brown. The only shame in it all is that we won’t actually get to see Jaylen out there dominating in one-on-one action. At least we get to see it plenty on NBA courts, hopefully for a long, long time.