Jaylen Brown Publicly Blasts NBA Officials One Day After Celtics' Game 7 Loss
The Boston Celtics' season came to an end Saturday night after a 109–100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round series, marking the first time in franchise history they've blown a 3–1 lead.
Boston was without Jayson Tatum due to knee stiffness, placing more of the burden on Jaylen Brown. He finished with 33 points but shot 12-for-27 from the field and didn't hold back in his postgame comments, taking issue with 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, who led all scorers with 34 points.
"He’s a big body. He also was flopping around. He got some extra calls and stuff like that and they rewarded him for that," Brown said. "But that’s the league that we’re in."
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Brown expanded on those frustrations during a Twitch stream Sunday night, again calling out Embiid while also directing criticism toward NBA officials, even suggesting there may be bias at play.
"They clearly had an agenda, maybe because I spoke so critically of them in the regular season," Brown said. "I actually spoke to some refs and they told me there's an agenda going on each game. Every time Jaylen puts his hands up, just call it."
He also voiced a broader concern about the state of the game.
"Flopping has ruined our league," he added. "Joel Embiid is one of the greatest players that has played basketball, but he flops. He knows it too."
Public criticism of officials can often lead to disciplinary action, as seen in past cases involving Devin Booker, Marcus Smart, and Luke Kennard during the first round of the playoffs.
Because of that precedent, Jaylen Brown could also be facing a potential fine following his comments about officiating.
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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 7:16 PM.