Q. Can you talk about Neemy (Queta), the importance of the season, if you were expecting he was going to play like he's playing?
JAYLEN BROWN: We've challenged Neemy to raise his level, and I think he's done that. I think he's been consistent. Looking forward to him raising his level going into the second part of the season. But what we've asked of him and what he's produced, I'm extremely proud of Neemy and what he's been able to accomplish.
He has more potential, and I want to get that out of him.
Q. With you being in union leadership, do you have any thoughts about the WNBPA's efforts to renegotiate their CBA or any advice for them?
JAYLEN BROWN: Advice? Do your due diligence, trust your instincts and get what you deserve.
Q. Players were being asked earlier anything they might do to improve the All-Star Game. I was just curious, would you like to see a one-on-one competition added, like the way they're doing at Unrivaled? Do you think that might help?
JAYLEN BROWN: I'm actually a big fan of the one-on-one. Off The Dribble Sports. I think Ballislife and doing some stuff as well.
I actually love watching it, because it reminds me of the purity of the game. Like, it's just mano y mano. You got people on the court talking trash. You've got to play two sides. You got to be an offensive and a defensive player. I think that will be great.
And then you could do it like boxing, like you can call a guy out and challenge some people. There are some people I would love to challenge. Some people that are here this weekend I would love to challenge. All of them, Luka, Shai, Brunson, Donovan. I would challenge all them guys, one-on-one. We could donate to whatever charity. Let's set it up.
Q. You being an Atlanta native, your father being a Clark Atlanta alum himself. You know the rich culture the HBCUs hold, and you have been an advocate for HBCU education. What event besides HBCU Classic would you have for All-Star Weekend?
JAYLEN BROWN: That's a good question. What do you think?
Q. You're going to have stuff off the court, but I'm here for you. What you got?
JAYLEN BROWN: (Laughing) Like you said, the HBCU Classic, that's something that has been kind of newly admitted. How long has that been?
Q. This is the fifth year.
JAYLEN BROWN: I think continuing that, building a legacy around that, as well as trying to find ways to integrate culture into what's going on in different spaces.
I feel like it's only a benefit. I don't have any suggestions on the top of my mind, but if you slide me some, I'll say it on my platform.
Q. Obviously Jayson went through the practice with the Maine Celtics last week. Did you get to watch that scrimmage? How is he looking to you right now? How close do you feel like he might be to coming back?
JAYLEN BROWN: I didn't get to watch that one. But I've seen some previous to that, and he looked good, to be honest. He looks like he's progressing along. He's checking off all the right boxes.
Obviously he needs to take his time to mentally, spiritually, emotionally make sure everything feels right before he makes any decisions. In terms of what I've seen, he looks pretty damn good.
Q. Obviously there's always going to be a lot of talk around you and him and making that work. Is that overblown to you? Is there going to be some things you have to figure out when he gets back into the lineup? How real is that conversation that people have about you two when it comes to his comeback?
JAYLEN BROWN: I mean, those conversations have been from since we got drafted pretty much. So in any human relationship, in any type of team, there's always going to be some stuff that you have to work on and improve and work through. But in terms of winning, me and him both have done that at a high level for a very long time. So I'm looking forward to that.
Q. What is one lesson you've learned that you wish you were told when you were younger?
JAYLEN BROWN: One lesson? I think confidence is everything. It's just the mentality of just being confident in every room that you walk in and believing in yourself, because sometimes you'll be challenged or that will be challenged. If you don't believe in you, nobody else will.
No matter what room you walk into, always think that I deserve to be here and that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to, and that will take you very far.
Q. You've had the most responsibility this year in your career, but off the floor you've taken more responsibility. What's the balance of keeping locked in on the game and the Celtics, but also, taking more on with the community, with your --
JAYLEN BROWN: To be honest, it's been fun. This year I started streaming this season on top of help trying to lead this team from being a gap year into where we're at now. It's been fun, to be honest, to get to introduce y'all to me so you all get to see what I do, how I spend my time, the topics I want to talk about. It's been fun.
I feel like I've built some dope followers, a dope fan base that get to see the game from a first-person perspective. Then on top of it being, like, a great year or a historic year, one for me personally, but also for our team, our guys. The amount of players that we lost and to see them finding their ground, their footing and playing well, as a leader, I can't tell you how much that means to me to see those guys kind of starting to flourish on their own. As of before when the season started there was uncertainty.
I'm proud. I don't know what to tell you. I'm extremely proud of our group to where we're at right now. Second in the East versus how many players and everything that was being said, the gap year, and for us to be sitting here at All-Star break and having our guys feeling like we can even be better, I'm proud, bro.
It's been great. It's been fun.
Q. Got to speak with your fellow Atlantan, Anthony Edwards.
JAYLEN BROWN: Yes, sir. That's my, dog too.
Q. Obviously. He spoke on his Mount Rushmore of Atlanta hoopers. I would love to hear yours.
JAYLEN BROWN: Did he put me in there?
Q. Of course.
JAYLEN BROWN: He better. He better.
My Mount Rushmore of Atlanta hoopers. This is good. I want to say this first: Georgia has had, like, a tremendous amount of talent come out of Georgia and Atlanta over the last 10 years. Me and Anthony are products of that, but there's been so much talent and top picks.
I think there's been a top-10 pick in the last 10 years that have all come out of Georgia or the Atlanta area. So it's very difficult to put a Mount Rushmore together by trying to honor the past and then also think about the future, but here we go.
If I had to choose, I'm going Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Lou Will (Lou Williams), and then I'm going to go me and Ant.
Q. I like that. My follow-up, you come from a boxing background. I've had a chance to train with your father some.
JAYLEN BROWN: For real?
Q. Absolutely, yeah. We trained plenty of times. With that being said, do you think it's guys in this league or a part of this weekend right now that could cross over into that field, based off your knowledge?
JAYLEN BROWN: That's here?
Q. Or in the league in general. Do you think they can cross over into that field of boxing?
JAYLEN BROWN: I think it's maybe a couple of guys.
Q. Anybody come to mind?
JAYLEN BROWN: Anybody come to mind? James Johnson, I know he had, like -- that was one. You know, we had some recent festivities (laughing).
Q. Any Pistons come to mind?
JAYLEN BROWN: There's some guys who I think they might deserve a tryout at the very least, you know what I mean?
I think the fans like to see some of that stuff cross over. Obviously you don't want things to get out of hand. You don't want no violence to be enacted, but you know, it's kind of exciting when you get in the moment to have a little bit of controversy.
Sometimes it's not even that big of a deal, but it's just we got emotional dudes. We got passionate dudes about this game. Some of that stuff is going to happen. You know, you getting in between them margins, you throwing 'bows. That's a part of the game to some degree. You know what I mean?
To be honest, I've toyed with this and I've talked to do some people, maybe post part of my career I would love to partake in something like UFC or even boxing. I've talked to Dana White about some stuff. We'll see as things going on. We'll see.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports