The Boston Celtics held their grand parade on Friday celebrating the franchise’s record 18th NBA title. For Mechalle Brown, mother of NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, the last five days have been very busy.
In Brown’s world, it takes a village to raise a child and a victory for one is a victory for all. This week, it seemed like the whole village was calling for a party.
“It’s been very surreal,” Brown said Thursday from Boston. “Did this really happen?” It was an immense and overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness. It’s been hectic. He’s been busy with all the calls. People keep calling, my phone keeps ringing.
“I’m ready for this to be over. I’m glad they won, but there’s so much going on.
I watched the podium celebration Monday, waiting like everyone else to see who would be named Finals MVP, the NBA’s version of the Best Actor Oscar.
Even though it takes a village to win, there is only one MVP.
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Brown has been the best performing player throughout the playoffs, but with forward Jayson Tatum having a monster game on Monday, there was a chance that Tatum would be the popular choice – not the right choice, but the popular choice .
When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Brown’s name, I was pleasantly surprised. Mechalle Brown was overcome by a wave of emotions. She closed her eyes, hugged her youngest son and was overcome by a flood of memories and emotions.
“First you see him at 9 months chasing a ball, then he’s 27 years old and everything he’s worked for and put immense effort into has come true,” she said. “Knowing that he wanted it so bad, and that he was able to help his team and then also be able to be recognized, there’s nothing better than seeing it all come full circle.” It was just an overwhelming and incredible feeling to see that.
Later in the postgame interview room, Brown described a dream he had earlier in the day. He dreamed that his maternal grandmother, Dianne Varnado, had put her arms around him when he woke up. “I knew everything would be OK,” he said. Mechalle Brown cried when she heard her son refer to his mother, who died in March 2023.
“When he talked about my mother and the dream he had, that’s what made me cry,” she said. “I wanted him to succeed, but that’s what pushed me to take over.”
Mechalle Brown and her brother, Byron Varnado, were born and raised in Muskegon, Michigan. She eventually moved to Atlanta, and every summer her two sons spent several weeks in Michigan with their grandparents.
His grandmother, an educator, helped establish the foundations of discipline for boys. She gave them homework and reading to do before going to play basketball. “What child wants to do their homework in the summer? » » Mechalle Brown said. “All the things she did and why she did them, he understood as he got older. He didn’t like them at the time, but he later understood why.
She added that her mother “played a big role in shaping who Jaylen is, being a person of service, learning by example.
“She treated people with kindness, no matter if they were the best person or someone who wasn’t,” Mechalle Brown said. “She always behaved this way. She made sure that Jaylen and Quenton had values, that they had character and integrity as young black men and in the way they carried themselves. She taught them to use their voices. When Jaylen cried, he knew that everything he was, he could see that’s where it came from. She was the initiator.
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So what’s next for Brown? With an NBA title and a Finals MVP award, he has a high platform. His mother said her son will continue his work with his 7uice Foundation and expand his Bridge program, which gives brown and black youth the opportunity to pursue their dreams in areas other than athletics.
One thing Brown won’t do is let fame and money take away his voice. Brown and his mother had a conversation about it three years ago when he traveled to Atlanta in 2020 to participate in a protest following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
“He said, ‘I have a lot of money but I’m still a man, I’m still a black man and my voice needs to be heard,'” Mechalle Brown said, recalling the conversation she had with his son.
“We had that conversation and that’s what pushed him to go to Atlanta. Because no matter how much money he has, he is still considered a black man and he must stand up against the injustice he sees in the world. Fortunately, he has a platform that most people don’t have.
She also wants her son to graduate from Cal, where he spent nine months before embarking on his NBA career. Mechalle Brown received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State and her MBA from American InterContinental University. Her mother graduated from Grand Valley State University. “Athletics was never my goal,” she said. “My goal was education. I really want him to come back to finish. We’re going to talk about it this summer. He promised me and his grandmother.
Considering everything Brown has on his plate, completing a degree program won’t be easy. On the other hand, reaching the NBA wasn’t easy, nor was winning an NBA title and being named Finals MVP.
As Mechalle Brown told her sons since they were young: “Struggle is inevitable when trying to achieve great success. »
We finished our conversation. Mechalle Brown had been gracious with her time. There was now so much to do: more calls to make, more friends and relatives to entertain. And of course, there was a championship parade to prepare for.
Brown said she was looking forward to Friday’s festivities.
“I’m very excited about the parade,” she said. “I’m excited to see this in action and witness it. It’s part of our family history.
“This is the icing on the cake.”
Indeed, the Brown family has finally received the parade they deserve.