Paul Pierce’s controversial take on Jaylen Brown’s MVP chances: “Everybody hates the Celtics”

After a turbulent summer in which they moved on key pieces of their 2024 title-winning team to cut costs, the Boston Celtics have exceeded all expectations this season. Joe Mazzulla’s team has won six of its last seven games and sits third in the Eastern Conference at 21-12, with Jaylen Brown unsurprisingly playing a central role, especially during the ongoing absence of the injured Jayson Tatum.

Brown’s best season yet

Four-time NBA All-Star Brown is averaging 29.5 points per game in 2025-26, a career high by a wide margin, along with 6.4 rebounds and five assists. He was in especially scintillating form in December, dipping below 30 points in just one of the 10 games he played.

The standout performance came on December 3, when Brown poured in 42 points in a win over the New York Knicks, continuing a stretch of elite scoring that has kept Boston firmly in the playoff picture.

Paul Pierce unhappy with MVP silence

Despite those numbers, the 29-year-old has barely been mentioned as an MVP contender, a situation one Celtics legend finds impossible to understand. Paul Pierce believes there is little more Brown could be doing on the court and suggests he is being overlooked simply because of the jersey he wears.

In an appearance on the No Fouls Given podcast, Pierce left listeners in no doubt about his view. “Everybody hates the Celtics. We all know this. Why isn’t he (in the running for MVP)? Nobody had the Celtics third in the East without Tatum. He’s putting up 30 consistently.”

“Everybody’s talking about Cade (Cunningham), I get it, they’re number 1,” Pierce continued. “Everybody’s talking about Wemby, I get it. And obviously the usuals, Shai and Joker (Nikola Jokic), but this guy has to get some type of recognition. He’s a 30-point walking bucket, and he should be in there.”

A familiar story in Boston?

Brown famously won Finals MVP in the Celtics’ 2024 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, earning widespread praise for his work on both ends of the floor, including helping slow down Luka Doncic in Boston’s 4-1 series win.

Like Brown, Pierce was also named Finals MVP in his only championship season in 2008. The league’s top individual award, however, eluded him throughout his career, something he clearly does not want to see repeated with Boston’s current star.

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