The Boston Celtics have answered their most pressing question of the offseason. Jaylen Brown will be part of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
The Celtics' wing has agreed to terms on a five-year supermax contract extension that will pay him up to $304 million, his agent said Tuesday.
It's the richest contract in NBA history, surpassing the $264 million deal signed by Nuggets center Nikola Jokic last summer.
The deal was first reported by ESPN and confirmed to The Associated Press by Brown’s agent, Jason Glushon.
It keeps Brown with the team that drafted him third overall in 2016 and watched him develop into a two-time All-Star.
He averaged career highs of 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season. But those numbers went down in the playoffs, when the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. In Game 7, Brown had 19 points on 8-of-23 shooting, making just one of nine 3-point attempts.
Still, the totality of his time in Boston has made him a key piece of the franchise's current core that management wasn't willing to risk seeing depart when his current four-year deal expires after next season.
By virtue of making the All-NBA second team — Brown's first such honor in his career — he was eligible for the supermax extension.
From the moment this past season ended, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been adamant that he wanted to see Brown sign a long-term deal.
“He’s a big part of us. We believe in him and I’m thankful for him,” Stevens said last month. "I’m really thankful that when those guys have success they come back to work. And when they get beat, they own it and they come back to work. And so I know that’s what they’re about. And that’s hard to find.”
Those sentiments were echoed by All-Star Jayson Tatum, who has paired with Brown to lead the Celtics' one-two punch in their runs to the NBA Finals in 2021-22 and the conference finals last season.
Following Boston's East finals loss in May, Tatum said retaining Brown long-term was “extremely important.”
“He’s one of the best players in this league," Tatum said. "He plays both ends of the ball and still is relatively young. And he’s accomplished a lot so far in his career. So, I think it’s extremely important.”
Brown's new contract likely will lead to some financial maneuvering down the road with the league’s new collective bargaining agreement bringing more limitations on how teams construct their rosters and additional luxury tax penalties.
Tatum is still playing under his rookie extension that kicked in last season and will be eligible for his potential supermax extension next summer.
While the United States were once again among the top nations in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to medal, with the games just ended, the focus turns to the athletes coming home and the mental toll the competition take on them. Lauren Gibbs, the 2018 Team USA silver medalist in bobsledding, joined Cheddar News to give her perspective on this year's games and what the competitors have gone through. “Its definitely a mixed bag, you know? It's like I just had the most incredible athletic experience of my life, but then its like its over in a flash," Gibbs said about the feelings an athlete can go through after finishing. She noted that it's important for them to be vocal and reach out to support networks after the rush of competition ends.
As the Beijing winter Olympics start to wind down, its ratings are heading towards a historic low. An average of only 12.3 million viewers per day have tuned into NBC to watch the games, compared with about 23 million viewers for the 2018 games in South Korea. Seth Schachner, managing director of StratAmericas and digital business executive, breaks down what could be behind this trend.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature NFL all-time great and current college coach Deion Sanders.
As Super Bowl LVI shapes up to be the biggest gambling event in sports history, restaurants and bars are looking to get in on the rapidly growing world of legalized sports betting.
The NFL was struck with a bombshell lawsuit by former Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores that accuses them and three teams of discrimination. The league's hiring practices when it comes to minority coaches have been in question for years but may finally see some change after Flores' suit. Cheddar News was joined by Matt Lombardo, National NFL Insider at Fansided to discuss the suit and its possible implications.
The Rams will technically be the road team for Super Bowl LIV despite the event being play at their home venue, Sofi Stadium. Why? Because the league alternates which conference's team is designated as home, and this year, it's the Bengals turn. Cody Roark, NFL Analyst for Pro Football Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for some more Super Bowl nuggets and discusses what viewers should watch for when the game kicks off.
Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in NFL history, has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year-career.
