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SCMP Sport

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was enjoying his off-season trip to China and jokingly suggested he only needed a US$400 million contract to leave the NBA and play in the Chinese league.
The 2024 Finals MVP, who was recently mentioned in trade talks as the Celtics attempted to lure Giannis Antetokounmpo away from the Milwaukee Bucks, joked about playing in China in a video that went viral among basketball fans despite its obvious playful nature.
The proposed trade did not materialise as the Greek international was sent to Florida in a trade with the Miami Heat on Monday.
In the viral post, Brown was seen responding to questions as fans asked how dominant he would be in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league.
“How many points would I average with the Shanghai Sharks? Listen, y’all cut the cheque. Shanghai, I’m outta here,” he said. “You write a cheque for US$100 million, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wing Chun, I’d play for all the teams at the same time.
“I’d be the first player to play for every team at the same time. I’d be seen on Twitter.”












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Then referring to a meme that started in November 2022, when Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving was suspended for promoting an antisemitic film on his social media and initially failing to apologise, Brown used the online shorthand for NBA players being told their future in the league was fading.
“Get ready to learn Mandarin, buddy,” he said. “We [are] out here learning Mandarin for real. Beautiful language.”
Having signed a five-year, US$303.7 million supermax contract extension with the Celtics in 2023, Brown is under contract with the 18-time champions until the end of the 2028-29 season, and there are no serious signs of the five-time NBA All-Star leaving Boston.
Still, Chinese social media users appeared to be more than willing to play along, and left behind some seemingly serious comments.
“He can score 50 in a single game; no one in the CBA can stop him if he wants to score. He can shut down any opposing guard too,” said one commentator. “Give Brown to any of the top 10 CBA teams, and they would be champions.”
Another commentator replied: “You should add 70 points to that number.”
Another comment read: “Let’s plan ahead, stop focusing on any particular club, go straight for the national team.”
A fellow commentator said Brown had already represented the United States at the Fiba World Cup, to which another replied: “Well, as long as the US Basketball Association was willing to let him go.”












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With Brown’s comment mentioning only four Chinese cities, some fans jokingly said the former first-round pick was looking down on Guangdong.
Since embarking on his China tour, Brown and his team have visited Henan, where he became the first NBA player, after Victor Wembanyama, to visit the Shaolin Temple.
Brown also visited the Hengdian World Studios and dressed as an ancient Chinese emperor, while also committing to public welfare interactions and cultural experiences in cities including Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.


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Sport

Basketball

China

‘Get ready to learn Mandarin, buddy,’ says visiting Boston Celtics star, who jokingly offers to play for four Chinese clubs at once


‘Get ready to learn Mandarin, buddy,’ says visiting Boston Celtics star, who jokingly offers to play for four Chinese clubs at once.


CBA (Chinese Basketball Association)

Victor Wembanyama

Basketball Association of Hong Kong, China

After missing out on Giannis trade, Brown offers services to China clubs for US$400 million

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Get ready to learn Mandarin, buddy,’ says visiting Boston Celtics star, who jokingly offers to play for four Chinese clubs at once

‘Get ready to learn Mandarin, buddy,’ says visiting Boston Celtics star, who jokingly offers to play for four Chinese clubs at once