Shortly after an official statement through ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jaylen Brown has broken his silence on the stunning blockbuster trade that sends him to an age-old rival. Through his Twitch livestream, the 29-year-old directly addressed fans about getting shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers. He got candid, saying he’s feeling some conflicting emotions about the complex rivalry between the Boston Celtics and their fiercest Atlantic Division rival.

While expressing genuine enthusiasm for working with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Brown admitted that overcoming a decade of intense, deep-rooted competitive animosity toward the City of Brotherly Love remains the absolute hardest hurdle in accepting this trade.

“I look forward to getting in the gym. I look forward to, you know, the whole process,” Brown said on the livestream. “So the hard part is like, for the last 10 years, I’ve like been programmed to hate Philadelphia. Like from the history of the rivalry, to just the playoff battles, you know, all of the above. The Process [Joel Embiid], like I’ve been programmed to be like, man, ‘f— The Process.’ So it’s like funny now, I gotta like reverse engineer.”

This very rivalry came to a head during the 2026 postseason. The Philadelphia fans would chant “We want Boston,” at Sixers games to ensure they were facing off against the Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum duo in the playoffs.

In that series, Boston fans upped the pressure and even got shushed by Embiid every time he made a shot. The Sixers eliminated Boston in a grueling first-round playoff series just weeks prior. To go from fighting that culture to now elevating it has to be an emotional whiplash for JB.

The monumental deal sent former 76ers forward Paul George, two future first-round draft picks, and two second-round draft picks back to Boston. The trade abruptly ended Brown’s highly decorated 10-season run with the Celtics.

A failed pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo by Boston’s front office left Brown feeling heavily under appreciated by team management before they packaged him to the Sixers.

Fans noted those emotions in Brown’s statement to ESPN where he pointedly left out the team while thanking the city and fans.

“I’m still processing how this all went down. I’m excited and disappointed at the same time,” Brown wrote on his X post.

While that statement was a subtle jab at the Celtics and an appreciation of the love from the fanbase, his livestream was about promising to earn the respect of the Sixers fanbase.

“It’s a bittersweet, you know, I think Philadelphia has a history of like being a strong city, of being a tough-nosed city. So I’m looking forward to that because I don’t want no special treatment. I don’t want no handouts. I don’t need no extra privilege. Not to say y’all were going to give me that anyway, but you know, I plan on earning my respect one day at a time by putting in the work, you know? I look forward to getting in the gym. I look forward to, you know, the whole process.”

Philly, for their part, are welcoming their former rival with open arms. Even Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro took a shot at the Celtics while figuratively rolling the red carpet for Brown.

The 76ers will take on the remaining years of Jaylen Brown’s five-year supermax extension, which was signed in 2023 and carries a 2026–27 cap hit of about $57.1 million. Philadelphia also acquired a prime-age, All-NBA-caliber star who averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season, while sending the injury-limited Paul George and draft picks to Boston.

Philly is already hoping the emotions from the trade are going to fuel him to turn the 76ers into immediate championship contenders.