Jaylen Brown has extended a message of comfort to a 6-year-old superfan who was left in tears after the player's trade from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brown, who spent a decade with the Celtics, replied to a video posted on Instagram by the boy's mother. The video showed the young fan, identified as Gio, crying while expressing his admiration for Brown and thanking him for his time with the team. In the widely shared clip, Gio, wearing Brown's No. 7 Celtics jersey, held up a handwritten letter addressed to his favorite player.
"It’s OK lil bro. We will always be friends," Brown commented on the video, accompanied by a heart emoji.
The boy's mother, Gigi Jean, shared the video with a caption describing it as her son's "first heartbreak." She noted that Gio had met Brown twice before and considers the former Celtic a role model, praising his humility and community involvement.
"He’s [Brown] always there for the kids. He’s always willing to meet the parents, he’s so humble," Jean told reporters. "I don’t think we’ll get another player that is so into the community, that is humble, that’s educated. Hopefully they make up for it. My baby’s sad."
The Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers on Wednesday in a deal that also sent Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-round draft picks to Boston. During his tenure with the Celtics, Brown averaged 20 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He was a five-time All-Star and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2024.