Jaylen Brown admits his mom made him accept special NBA award nomination

Jaylen Brown never viewed community work as something that deserved applause. The star admitted he resisted the NBA’s Social Justice Champion award for years before finally accepting a nomination this season, largely because of pressure from his mother, per Yahoo.

Speaking during his FCHWPO Twitch livestream Sunday night, Brown questioned the purpose behind the award itself.

“I’m not sure why the NBA decided they needed to create this award,” Brown said. “They’ve actually asked for my participation over the course of the last five or seven years, and I turn them down every time.”

Brown explained that he sees helping communities as a responsibility, not something tied to recognition or trophies.

“I don’t really feel like you need to be rewarded for your responsibility,” Brown added. “I honestly feel like it’s a responsibility to my community.”

The Celtics forward ultimately changed his mind after a conversation with his mother, Mechalle, who works as a teacher. According to Brown, she pushed him to think about the bigger picture tied to the nomination.

Jaylen Brown said his mom, Mechalle, (who’s a teacher) made him accept a nomination for the NBA’s Social Justice award:

“She twisted my arm…Let them nominate you…winning an award can help bring eyes to (charity) projects and initiatives that you’re working on.”

@FCHWPO pic.twitter.com/eb6AvBicoY

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 18, 2026

Why Jaylen Brown Finally Accepted the Nomination

Brown revealed his mother convinced him that accepting the honor could create more visibility for the causes and initiatives he supports off the court.

“She twisted my arm,” Brown said on stream. “Let them nominate you… winning an award can help bring eyes to projects and initiatives that you’re working on.”

The NBA introduced the Social Justice Champion award five years ago to honor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his decades of activism and community leadership. This season’s finalists included Brown, Bam Adebayo, Tobias Harris, Harrison Barnes, and Larry Nance Jr..

Last season, former Celtics guard Jrue Holiday captured the award, which also included a $100,000 donation directed toward the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund.

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