Recently, Jaylen Brown was fined by the NBA for criticizing referees. A look back at the comments of the Celtics star, who believes he does not receive the same whistles as other big names in the League.
After the defeat against the Spurs less than a week ago, Jaylen Brown saw red. He let loose on the refereeing behind the microphones, at the end of a match where his team finished with only four free throws attempted, including… zero for him.
« I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some bulls–t tonight. »
Jaylen Brown wasn’t happy with the refs after loss to Spurs 😬
(Via @CelticsCLNS) pic.twitter.com/JPSLhstA2Q
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 11, 2026
A few days later, at the microphone of The AthleticBrown reiterated his remarks based on the fact that the Celtics are – by far – the team that shoots the fewest free throws in the entire NBA (18.9 on average). A damning observation in Jaylen’s eyes, especially since twelve teams attempt fewer drives than Boston this season.
Conclusion ? For Brown, the referees lack regularity in their whistles and according to him, this is not necessarily unconsciously.
“They just choose who they want to punish. That’s what annoys me,” Brown said. “Everyone should be officiated fairly and consistently, but it seems like there is an agenda where some players get punished for certain fouls and others don’t. I don’t know how they make these decisions, but it’s clear that certain players from certain teams, certain markets or certain profiles get preferential treatment over others, when it should be all about basketball. »
Jaylen Brown believes he deserves the same whistles as other players who regularly go to the free throw line. This season, JB is tenth in shots attempted per game, with 7.2 attempts. Luka Doncic is the one who attempts the most (11.7), followed by Deni Avdija (9.9) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (9.2).
Jaylen Brown believes that certain players receive special treatment from the referees
“I do the same things that they do. They just pick and choose who they like to call it on. That’s the part that pisses me off. It should just be everybody should just get reffed evenly and… pic.twitter.com/wdxRDhL2hK
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 14, 2026
Brown is obviously not the first player to complain about NBA refereeing, but above all he questions the integrity of the officials quite clearly. A way for the leader of the C’s to step-up for his team, even if it means taking a $35,000 fine…
“As a leader, it’s my role to make sure that it doesn’t affect us, so that we don’t complain too much and so on.” But when you make physical drives and you get to the basket and they don’t call a foul, it gives the impression of a bad possession, which affects our defense and causes us to lose points. »
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