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"F—k Stephen A." - Jaylen Brown brutally fires back at Stephen A. Smith's criticism
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- "F—k Stephen A." - Jaylen Brown brutally fires back at Stephen A. Smith's criticism
The ongoing feud between Jaylen Brown and Stephen A. Smith took another dramatic turn when the Boston Celtics star returned to his Twitch stream on Sunday night.
The 2024 Finals MVP watched and reviewed SAS's commentary regarding the statements he made over his livestream after the C's first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Brown addressed the ESPN analyst directly and had some strong words for the long-time sports commentator.
Brown's blunt message to Stephen A.
Smith is paid top dollar to provide his takes, especially about NBA basketball, so there was no surprise here. That said, the loud-mouthed pundit took Brown's words and ran far with them.
When JB said this season was his personal favorite despite blowing a 3-1 series lead to Philly, Smith seized the opportunity to dwell on negativity.
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According to Stephen A., when Brown said he enjoyed being the focal point of the Celtics more than the franchise's 2024 title, it was a claim that painted JB as a selfish guy who valued personal glory over team success. As expected, Brown did not take Smith's comments kindly.
"F—k Stephen A. Stephen A, Stephen B, Stephen C. My offer still stands," the Celtics star forward said . "You want me to be quiet and stop streaming. Well, I want you to be quiet and get off these networks because you're not using your platform to do real journalism. You're using your platform to use clickbait."
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Brown's point was far simpler than the complicated tale Smith made it out to be. Most people wrote Boston off before the season after Jayson Tatum remained sidelined and Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were shipped for financial reasons .
Besides Derrick White and Payton Pritchard , nobody was projected as a difference-maker for the Celtics coming into 2025-26.
Even so, the C's made the most out of their dire situation. Led by Brown's career-best 28.7 PPG scoring average, Boston secured the No. 2 seed. JB carried the heaviest load than ever before without Tatum and shattering preseason expectations was the source of his satisfaction, not some selfish desire to hog the spotlight.
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Of course, nuance was never going to generate heat as much as a character attack. Smith has figured out the formula for this stuff and he certainly knows that projecting Brown as a selfish prick was always going to generate more buzz. Stephen A. will definitely answer JB one of these days, continuing the back-and-forth, something that he and ESPN want.
The irony of it all
What makes this feud so fascinating is that Smith was one of Brown's loudest MVP supporters a few months back. During the 2024 NBA Finals, Stephen A. championed JB as the rightful MVP, heaping praise on him at every turn, especially his defense on Luka Doncic .
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Now, less than a year later, he is using the same platform to throw dirt on Brown's character. Whether that whiplash is genuine or not is almost beside the point. In Stephen A.'s world, the most extreme and controversial take available is always the one worth taking, regardless of which direction it swings.
With that considered, it would be best for JB to take things in stride and not give Smith more material and ammunition. Every response Brown fires back is another headline and segment for Smith and ESPN, something that they will use to keep the story alive.
The best move for the Celtics superstar is a simple one: Make sure his game does the talking next season and leave Stephen A. searching for a new target.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
