Finals MVP Jaylen Brown praises Luka Doncic: ‘You got the best out of me’

Jaylen Brown hugged Luka Doncic after the Celtics’ series-clinching win during Game 5 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden.

Brown was mic’d up for the game, and the microphone caught him saying a few words to Doncic during the embrace.

“Luka, you’re a killer,” Brown said. “You got the best out of me. I love you bro.”

The win marked Brown’s first title. He had come a long way since the Eastern Conference Finals, when he remarked that he never wins anything. He went on to win the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP awards.

Jayson Tatum had bigger stats, leading the Celtics in points, rebounds, and assists throughout the postseason. But, Brown was the steadier and more efficient hand on offense, averaging 23.9 points on 51 percent shooting.

He also had several memorable moments throughout the playoffs, including his buzzer-beater in Game 1 of the Eastern conference Finals, finding Derrick White for a clutch 3-pointer at the end of Game 4 of the same series, and a thunderous dunk on a drive past Doncic during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Jaylen Brown: “Luka, you’re a killer, you got the best out of me. I love you bro”

Luka Doncic: “I love you too, bro.” 🤝

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/jspliQoIF9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 19, 2024

Brown said after the win that he would share the award with Tatum, whom he called his brother. They endured a lot of criticism, stuck together, and wound up as champions.

Brown said that he couldn’t find the words to sum up his journey to the title.

“I absolutely can’t, man. Just the story and the journey is awesome,” Brown said. “You know, just being drafted here in Boston, like a lot of the people probably didn’t watch me play in the Pac-12 at Cal. You know, it led to a lot of people feeling a way about that.

“And, you know, I just came in and kept my head down and told myself, I’m going to just keep working. And, you know, to be here in this moment now, through all the years, through all the doubt, through all of the ups and downs, through all of the verdicts, through all of the everything, it just makes the story that much sweeter.”