Jaylen Brown Shares Touching Moment With Celtics Legend
The Boston Celtics have a lot of retired numbers and championship banners hanging from the rafters at TD Garden. The Celtics have retired 24 jersey numbers, which is the most of any professional sports team in North America.
There aren’t many numbers left, but one that will likely be retired someday is Jaylen Brown’s No. 7. After a decade of excellence and counting with Boston, it’s only a matter of time until the 2024 NBA Finals MVP has his jersey number retired as well.
Brown will thus likely be the last Celtics player to wear No. 7. Before Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center, he met the franchise’s first player to wear No. 7, Emmette Bryant.
Bryant, 87, is a Chicago native and still lives in the area, serving as the Vice President of the Chicago Chapter at NBA Alumni. He enjoyed an eight-year career as an NBA point guard from 1964 to 1972, spending two seasons with Boston.
In the first of those seasons, Bryant helped the Celtics win the 1969 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers during Bill Russell’s final season. He carried a heavy load for Boston’s aging roster in the postseason, averaging 33.7 minutes and 11 points per game over 18 contests.
Brown, who also has a championship ring with the Celtics, was honored to meet Bryant, sharing the team’s post about it on social media.
“1st Celtic to ever wear the #7 it was an honor,” Brown wrote on X. He also received a signed jersey from Bryant as a touching link between the past and present.
While Boston ended up losing to the Bulls later that night, it was still a cool moment and personal highlight for Brown, who clearly cares about and appreciates Celtics history.