As the majority of the NBA community is against Jaylen Brown and his explosive comments, his mentor, Tracy McGrady, is standing right by his side. The Boston Celtics criticized the referees, the league, and even Joel Embiid for his apparent theatrics in Game 7 of Round 1. But there is a reason behind the former Finals MVP’s frustration, as Hall of Famer T-Mac revealed.

“I think his frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don’t really have the details to,” said McGrady on the latest episode of the Cousins Podcast. “Oh, it’s just been a lot of stuff, you know, that I’ve been hearing just going on with the Boston organization with JB. So I think part of him is like, ‘I showed you guys more of who I am as a basketball player. Not only just, you know, what I did on the basketball court, but the leadership that I displayed within this team, and you’ve seen that not having our best player in JT.’ So, all that stuff, you know, I think just came into play with him and his frustration.”

While there are no specific details, T-Mac is seemingly referring to a lack of appreciation for Jaylen Brown from the Cs. This comes at a time when the 29-year-old led the Beantown without Jayson Tatum to the second seed in the East. Coach Mazzulla got his recognition with the top 3 nomination in the COTY race. But JB has been devoid of any such accolades. Even though JB has not hinted at any issues with the franchise, Tracy McGrady can understand it because of his long-standing relationship with the Boston star.

It was Jaylen Brown who previously revealed that the 2019 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks was a breaking point, and he wanted to leave the Celtics. It was a first-round exit, where Boston were favorites for the title. While there were thoughts of joining a new team, T-Mac put them to bed as he said, “Nah, you need to stay… It’s gonna be you”. That helped JB a lot, and in 2024, he won the championship and even the Finals MVP. Similarly, even this year, McGrady has since praised Brown’s growth and MVP-caliber impact.

Again, this came at a time when Brown was frustrated with the lack of appreciation from around the league. In January, JB lashed out at the media as he did not win the POTM in December. In 10 games played in December, Brown averaged 31.7 points (1st in NBA), 6.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 53.8% from the field and 42.6% from three-point range. The Celtics had a 7-3 record, and Mazzulla won the NBA Coach of the Month (East).

When the plaudits don’t come from the outside, the team becomes a sign of strength. But it seems Jaylen Brown is missing that, as McGrady hinted. So, just like in 2019, an early playoff loss has allegedly opened up old wounds or created new friction between Brown and the front office.

Tracy McGrady backs Jaylen Brown despite NBA fine

Just a day after the first-round series loss, JB criticized the referees’ officiating and accused Joel Embiid of flopping.“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best bigs in basketball history. [But he] flops. He knows it,” Brown said. “Why are you targeting me? (about the officiating issues). They clearly had an agenda, maybe because I spoke so critically of them in the regular season. So, you know how they responded I actually spoke to some refs, and they said there was an agenda going into each game. Like anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, call it.”

Current star Draymond Green, analyst Stephen A. Smith, and the majority of the fans were against this monologue from Jaylen Brown. They felt this was a lack of accountability from the Celtics star. But T-Mac was once again standing by his mentee. “And I think it was a little bit of frustration on JB’s part, rightfully,” McGrady said. “So he has a right, you know, to feel that way if you watch some of the games and some of the calls that’s been called on him versus what we see from other guys. So I stand with him on that.”

The NBA fined him $35,000 in January 2026 for public criticism of officiating. And tonight, he was fined $50,000 for his comments against Embiid and the officials. None of the Celtics front office has come in support of JB so far after the first-round exit. Maybe that’s why the tension is building in the first place.