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NBA Picks MVP Finalists & Jaylen Brown Snubbed! Further Proof He's Outcast of League?

By Terrell Smith Men's Journal

After the Boston Celtics pummelled the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-91, in the first game of the First Round series of this year's playoffs, Celtics' fans, the team, and Jaylen Brown in particular had every reason to be on a celebratory high. Then came the NBA's announcement of the three MVP finalists for the 2025-2026 season.

Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic were given the honor of being named the finalists. While they certainly put in the work on the court to earn the distinction, Brown is left in the metaphorical cold. Again! There are plenty of voices online crying "snub," and it's hard not to agree.

Jaylen Brown Had the Best Year of His Career

At the beginning of the 2025-2026 season, the Celtics were in a precarious place. During last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals, Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks, causing him to miss almost all of this regular season. Tatum wouldn't return until the beginning of March 2026. So there were a lot of questions surrounding how the team would fare. Knowing all of that, Brown stepped up in a major way and proved why Boston agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax extension to his contract back in 2023.

In Tatum's absence, Brown did a remarkable job of leading the team to the Number 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. Not only that, but Brown had the best season of his career. According to Basketball Reference, Brown averaged 28.9 points, 5 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. Although he wasn't solely the reason for the Celtics' success, he carried a big weight for the team this season and was the leader Boston needed him to be. You know, the qualities of a league MVP.

All that being said, many basketball fans and analysts had Brown as a shoo-in as a finalist for MVP, including current players like Anthony Davis. But again, the NBA felt differently.

Jaylen Brown Is Constantly Overlooked

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Brown is constantly undervalued in the league. He puts up great numbers, both offensively and defensively, and yet, it always seems like he comes up short of the major honors. He was left off the 2023-2024 All-NBA roster, which many people weren't happy about at the time. Then there was the 2024 USA Men's Basketball Team roster for the Paris Olympics, which again, conveniently didn't have Brown on it, but did include teammates Tatum and Derrick White. At the time, former league vet Tim Hardaway Sr. noted:

"For them not to have Jaylen Brown on that, that's terrible. But it's all politics, it's all politics, and you know he's not the person that's going to stand by, he's going to speak his mind. He's gonna speak what he feels is right. That rubs a lot of people the wrong way, which it shouldn't."

When I combine the All-NBA and Olympic Team omissions with him not being a MVP finalist this year, I'm left wondering why it feels there are more hurdles for Brown to jump through to get his due recognition. But hey, like with the All-NBA and Olympic Team oversights, Brown will likely just laugh this latest snub off and prove through his play that he's a top player in the league. Heck, maybe the snub will even drive him to lead Boston to another NBA championship.

Related: Taylor Twellman Talks World Cup Predictions, Christian Pulisic, & Future of MLS (Exclusive)

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 2:30 AM.

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