Jaylen Brown Ejected for the First Time in His NBA Career, Expresses Frustration with Referee’s Decision

During the Boston Celtics’ victory over the New York Knicks, Jaylen Brown was ejected for the first time in his eight-year NBA career. The incident occurred in the fourth quarter when Brown was called for a personal foul on Immanuel Quickley. After expressing his protest, Brown received a technical foul. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wisely decided to bench Brown, but the same official assessed a second technical, resulting in Brown being ejected from the game with 7:19 minutes remaining.

Following his ejection, Brown had to be restrained by Celtics staff and security as he attempted to confront the referee. Unconcerned about the potential fines, Brown expressed his frustration after the game, stating that he wished he had made the ejection more “exciting” and that he should have gotten his “money’s worth.”

Mazzulla acknowledged that Brown’s use of an expletive may have been a contributing factor to the ejection. However, he also noted that Brown’s words did not exceed the typical level of player-referee debate.

Brown clarified that his emotions were directed towards the situation, not the referee personally. He expressed disbelief that he received a technical while he was on the bench and speaking from the sideline, making it impossible for the referee to hear his comments. Brown believed that the referee’s decision was influenced by someone allowing their emotions to affect their judgment and exerting their power through technical fouls.

Despite the ejection, Brown contributed 17 points and four assists in the game. His ejection marked the Celtics’ second major ejection in a week, following Jayson Tatum’s ejection in the previous game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which was later overturned by the league office upon review.