Jaylen Brown again proved why he is one of the most outspoken players in the league. For a long time, he has been a critic of Nike, especially after believing the sports giant played a suspicious role in cutting him from Team USA for the Olympics. The Celtics star recently went nuclear after getting snubbed for December’s Player of the Month award.
Brown led the entire NBA in scoring during December but lost to Jalen Brunson. The unfair decision led to endless chatter online, but the Georgia native remained silent until now.
Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Blasts NBA Awards System
The controversy exploded on Friday when the NBA announced the December winner’s name because they announced the wrong name, according to the community. New York Knicks’ Brunson took home Eastern Conference honors, while OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander captured the award from the West.
Brown initially tweeted “Smh” before unleashing a full breakdown on his Twitch stream following the announcement. The four-time All-Star questioned everything about the league’s selection process, which was never transparent, according to him.
“No disrespect, no diss to any of those guys, Shai or Brunson, but neither one of them had a better month than I had,” Brown said during a very recent stream.
He kept pushing for answers about the voting criteria, adding, “It’s all good. Those are great players. My whole thing is what’s the rubric, what’s the criteria behind? Why do they select this?”
The 29-year-old suggested favoritism plays a role in league decisions, just like he has always raised his voice against Nike and the NBA’s connection. “Somebody in the back is just picking their favorites; they’re like, Who’s signed to…. What’s the rubric? “There’s no rubric,” he said.
Jaylen Brown on being snubbed for Player of the Month
“No disrespect to SGA or Brunson neither one had a better month than I had….
People tell me if I keep my mouth closed, maybe I’ll win awards that’s exactly why I’m going to keep talking.”FCHWPO TWITCH pic.twitter.com/sILMS86yAR
— CELTICS ☘️ BANNER 19 (@BiggLynch) January 3, 2026
His number is enough to back up his frustration over the league’s awkward choice. He averaged a scorching 31.7 points across 10 December games while leading the NBA in scoring. Meanwhile, Brunson averaged 30.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in December.
A handful of people argued to defend the league’s decision, saying Knicks and Thunder performed better than Celtics, but the December honor specifically targets only the best-performing player according to NBA rulebook rather than checking any other criteria.
And excluding the entire team’s record, Brown outperformed Brunson in nearly every statistical category. Points per game, rebounds, steals, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and net rating all favored Brown. That’s why the snub stings even more. Some even think he is better than some elite Lakers’ players.
His choice to call out the alleged biased system openly might force the league to establish clear voting guidelines. Or it might just earn him more snubs moving forward. Either way, Brown made it clear who he thinks truly deserved the December award.
