Stephen A. Smith Claps Back at Jaylen Brown Telling Him to ‘Retire'

An online feud has erupted between ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown after the Celtics made surprising comments about this past season being his “favorite.”

Brown’s remarks, made during his live-stream session, caught the attention of plenty of people, including sports talk shows, and immediately sparked speculation that Brown wanted to be traded.

Smith is known for being vocal on many sports topics on ESPN’s various programs and called out Brown for the comments he made after Boston was eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, Brown doubled down on his initial remarks, claiming this past year was his favorite because of how this Celtics team performed when faced with adversity.

That adversity was not having his All-Star teammate, Jayson Tatum, in the lineup for most of the season, until he was cleared to return from a ruptured Achilles tendon and played 16 games.

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“He needs to be quiet, and like [Kendrick Perkins] said, go on vacation, unless you’re trying to get traded,” Smith said, delivering a fiery on-air message about Brown during ESPN’s “First Take.”

On Thursday, Brown responded to the clip on X with a message in which he bluntly told Smith he’d “be quiet / stop streaming” but only if Smith would “‘be quiet’ and retire.”

“let’s give the people what they want,” Brown also wrote in his message.

Smith, never one to back down from NBA stars taking aim at him, fired back with another X message on Thursday afternoon for Brown.

“Bro, I got love for you so I’m not going to even go there. Folks are looking out for you and you don’t even realize it. Here you are making this kind of noise and it hasn’t even been a week since you lost a 3-1 lead,” Smith told the Celtics All-Star.

“You’re HOME. A champion and a Finals MVP saying his favorite season is the season he’s home in the FIRST ROUND. This is not about ME. It’s about YOU….and what YOU SAID. Enjoy your offseason,” the ESPN star wrote.

Smith also mentioned during his rant on “First Take” that Jayson Tatum had appeared on the ESPN show before he appeared on Brown’s podcast or streaming show, and that people are noticing.

If Brown’s trying to get traded, he’s definitely doing a good job of advertising that he no longer wants to be part of the Boston Celtics organization. The team held a 3-1 first-round series lead over Philly, then collapsed, as the 76ers defeated them in seven games, including a Game 7 win in Boston.

It’s hard to imagine that would be any player’s favorite season compared to winning an NBA Championship and the NBA Finals MVP in a previous season.

Speculation about the team moving Brown, potentially in a blockbuster deal for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, will probably dominate the headlines after the NBA Playoffs conclude. Still, one has to wonder if Brown will keep making more remarks about this situation or move on.

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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 8:20 PM.