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Austin Rivers blasts anonymous sources over Jaylen Brown smear campaign: "Y'all are weak for that"
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- Austin Rivers blasts anonymous sources over Jaylen Brown smear campaign: "Y'all are weak for that"
The Jaylen Brown trade to the Philadelphia 76ers became official on Monday, and Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens and team owner Bill Chisolm held a press conference to explain their side.
Meanwhile, former NBA player Austin Rivers delivered a fiery defense of Brown , blasting the nameless critics who hid behind the "anonymous sources" moniker while criticizing the 29-year-old. In a video and long message, Rivers said it's time to end this cowardly reporting style used by several sports media practitioners covering the league.
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"Enough of the 'anonymous sources.' Y'all are weak for that. And the reporters that are putting it out there are no better. This Jaylen Brown smear campaign is wack! We got some people in the NBA, in positions of power, who run their mouth and put these anonymous tips out there to smear and disrespect our elite players. Because they don't have equity in players' sweat, because they have never done it themselves or come close, never even bounced a ball ," Rivers wrote .
" Enough of the BS. Let's clean up the game. Protect the players and not smear and condemn them for being outspoken or intellectually elite," he added.
A smear campaign against Jaylen Brown
"Anonymous sources" reporting started many years ago. Brown was among the first high-profile players to publicly push back against the practice after ESPN's Stephen A. Smith cited an unnamed source who claimed the Celtics star was "not marketable." Brown famously responded with the challenge, "State your source, "a phrase he later printed on a black T-shirt and wore during an appearance on Smith's show last year.
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Since then, the conversation surrounding anonymous sourcing in NBA media has evolved significantly.
Brown proved last season that he can be the No. 1 option for the Celtics with Jayson Tatum missing most of the regular season. Achilles tear. But after they were upset in the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics dangled Brown in an effort to land Giannis Antetokounmpo . They failed, and since then, Brown's name has been mentioned a lot by these "anonymous sources."
First came Bobby Marks, who revealed that an analytics guy said Brown is not even a Top 7 player on his team. Another anonymous source said that their team did not make a move for Brown because he was a "negative player." Then there was Colin Cowherd, who said an informant told him that Brown has a disease where he feels he is always the smartest guy in the room.
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Anonymous sources aren't basketball people
Rivers did not name names, but it was obvious he was referring to non-basketball people working on coaching staffs, in front offices and as organization employees. He said he respects these people because Erik Spoelstra began as a video coordinator for the Miami Heat . However, Rivers added that he is just the outlier.
"I'm not saying you can't work your way up. I know there's been plenty of stories of coaches and front office staff starting in low positions and working their way up. You have my respect. But we've got a bunch of LASTERS…AKA organization survivors. They just politic their way into positions without real basketball knowledge," he added.
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Curiously, Celtics president Stevens revealed in his press conference on Monday that analytics was just a small part of the decision to trade Brown. He also said it had nothing to do with his live streams and controversial statements; rather, it was about roster and salary cap management.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jul 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
