Jaylen Brown Hopes His Time in Philly Ends Better Than It Did at Cal, Boston

Jaylen Brown’s last game at Cal was a disappointing performance in the NCAA tournament, and Cal has not been back to March Madness since

Jaylen Brown struggled in Cal's 2016 NCAA tournament loss to Hawaii | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jaylen Brown hopes his time with the 76ers ends on a happier note than it did with his two previous teams – the Cal Golden Bears and the Boston Celtics.

Brown was the central figure in a blockbuster trade on Tuesday that sent Brown to Philadelphia while sending Paul George and four draft picks (first-rounders in 2028 and 2031 and second-rounders in 2028 and 230) to Boston.

His final game for the Celtics was a 109-100 Game 7 loss to the 76ers after Boston had held a 3-1 lead in that playoff series.  Brown scored 33 points in Game 7, but he went 0-for-4 in the final five minutes after the Celtics got within a point.

Brown’s last game at Cal might have been more disappointing. Cal was a No. 4 seed in the 2016 NCAA tournament when it faced 11th-seeded Hawaii in the first round in Spokane, Washington.  Cal was without starters Jabari Bird and Tyrone Wallace for the game, so the Bears needed a big performance from Brown, Cal’s freshman sensation who came into the game averaging 15.0 points and had scored 20 points or more six times.

It didn’t happen.

Brown had the worst game of his otherwise sparkling, one-season career at Cal. He scored a season-low four points on 1-for-6 shooting, including 0-for-2 on three-pointers. He had just two rebounds and committed a season-high seven turnovers before fouling out after playing just 17 minutes.

Cal lost 77-66, and the Bears have not played an NCAA tournament game since.

Brown was the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft after spending just one season at Cal, and he had some big moments with the Celtics, including selection to five All-Star games and winning the NBA Finals MVP in 2024.

However, the Celtics had been  actively looking to trade Brown since the NBA draft as his relationship with the team deteriorated.

Now he starts over with a new team and a Philadelphia fan base that can be hard on its stars.