Jaylen Brown Climbs Impressive List, But Has Interesting Comments About His Future

Jaylen Brown scored with ease in the first quarter of the Celtics win over the Golden State Warriors.

“They kind of stuck to our shooters because, out of respect for those guys, they shoot the ball incredibly well, and those threes add up,” Brown said. “So they were kind of leaving me on an island, so I had to take advantage of that.”

He put up 19 in the first quarter, and four more quickly when he returned to the game in the second. In the process, Brown passed Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens, and climbed into 10th on the Celtics All-Time scoring list, right behind his teammate, Jayson Tatum.

“I'm very grateful,” Brown said. “A lot of legends on that list who made big contributions to the Celtics, but also to the game of basketball. So I'm very humbled and very grateful to be in the position I'm in.”

One of the legends on that list was watching him get a little bit closer.

Robert Parish, fourth on the list at 18,245 points, was courtside to watch Brown and Tatum beat his other former team. He’s just another in a parade of legends who have enjoyed parts of Tatum and Brown’s career from a front-row seat.

If there's one thing Boston can appreciate, it’s history. The building exploded when a video tribute to Parish was shown on the scoreboard, and the camera cut to him in the crowd. He stood and took in the adulation, delivered at a decibel level reserved for the greats.

"It was cool to see him,” Tatum said. “I got a chance to chat with him a bit during warmups before the game. Show my respect. It's always an honor to see the legends of the game and former players that paved the way for us as NBA players and obviously as Celtics. As a team and as fans in the arena, we love when former players come back to the games."

It’s hard for current players to grasp that it could be them in Parish’s position someday. The 72-year-old Hall of Famer is a four-time champion watching these 28 and 29-year-olds try to build up their resumes. They want what he has.

“We checked our egos at the door, and I think that’s paramount,” Parish said of winning multiple titles in Boston. “And it started with our leader, Larry [Bird]. He checked his ego at the door. So if our leader can check his ego, clearly the rest of us could check our ego. And that's where it starts with the leader. And I think that, as I said before, that's one thing I like about today's Celtics. They win collectively. Not one person doing the work. They're winning and being successful collectively. They're doing it as a team. And I respect that.”

Tatum and Brown are already Celtics legends. They have a ring and they're climbing these All-time lists in a hurry. It’s possible Tatum and Brown will finish their careers in the top five of Boston’s scoring list, and that they themselves will get to pick a favorite championship ring.

“I was here for when Paul got his number retired. I was here for KG,” Tatum said. “Those were obviously two very special moments and special days and I felt honored and lucky that I was just around and on the team and got to see and witness that … It’s really just a cool moment to see other people receive their flowers and witness it.”

They can’t really wrap their heads about switching places, though.

“Honestly, I can't even think that far ahead,” Brown said. “A part of me wants to say when I'm done, y'all never gonna see me again. But who knows? Obviously, Parish is a legend, so it's good to see him out there. He looked good. Looks in great shape. So it's great to have him around.”

It’s hard to imagine Brown wouldn’t want another chance to soak up the love that Parish felt on Wednesday night. That's addictive. But maybe that's not Brown’s vice of choice.

“I mean, depends on what God got planned,” Brown said. “But if you ask me right now, I think that's a high probability, let's say that.”