SAN FRANCISCO — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he thinks joining Kayne West’s marketing firm is the start of a “great collaboration.”
It became public knowledge this week that the Celtics forward was the first NBA player to sign with Donda Sports, a fledgling marketing company that is part of West’s biggest apparel line. Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald recently said he has joined the company.
“It was about time. For me, like I said, every time I make a decision in life, I reflect. I think deeply about things,” Brown said a day before Thursday’s opener of the final. NBA (9 p.m. ET, ABC). “And based on what I want to do, the missions I want to complete, it was the right decision.”
Brown recently became a shoe free agent after his long-term contract expired with Adidas, who signed him ahead of his rookie season in 2016. He has been active in social justice causes and has said he preferred that future endorsement deals include investments in these areas.
Donda Sports is expected to handle Brown’s marketing deals. His current contract with the Celtics — a four-year, $106 million extension that kicked off in 2020 — was negotiated with NBA agent Jason Glushon.
West and Brown have had a relationship for some time and formalized a partnership at the end of the regular season. Brown is aware of the criticism West has received and doesn’t mind it.
“People have concerns or criticisms and so on, but in the world we live in, there are concerns and criticisms in everything and anything,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s a good time for me in my special life. I’m excited to build, create and do things that I always imagined I wanted to do on and off the pitch. .”