Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown Tells Stephen A. Smith: "It Ain't your Job to Be a Clown"
It's been made perfectly clear over the last couple of weeks that there's no love lost between host of ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith, and Boston Celtics superstar, Jaylen Brown. After Smith took aim at Brown following the Celtics 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, Brown returned in kind with a message of his own on X (formerly Twitter), urging Smith to "be quiet and retire" and to "give the people what they want." Smith then replied on social media to Brown's jab, stating:
"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. 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."
With all that being said, it looks like Brown has time on his hands at "home" and is using some of it to take another direct shot at Smith via a live stream.
Jaylen Brown Says It's "F*ck Stephen A"
While live-streaming on Twitch, Brown took on Smith head-on. He said a number of things, but the biggest takeaway started with him mocking Smith, stating, "It's my job to talk to the media." Switching back to his own perspective, Brown clapped back:
"It ain't your job to be a clown. It ain't. And this whole playing the game, this delusion that y'all got, that y'all running with. That y'all making it seem like I'm playing the game, I'm pulling the ladder down. Y'all not doing nothing but helping your motherf*cking selves. And I'm tired of that sh*t. That's why people are calling that sh*t out. That's why people, I came to that conclusion. And I'll tell Stephen A. and whoever else when I see them, when they see me in person, I will let you know that it is f*ck Stephen A, Stephen B, Stephen C, directly to your face."
Jaylen about Stephen A. saying that talking to the media is his job
— Riley (@rileysbetter) May 18, 2026
"It ain't your job to be a clown" pic.twitter.com/7CJtkshGOU
Brown stood 10 toes down in his statement, and was sure to say, "It is what it is." As of publication, Smith has yet to reply to Brown on social media. Perhaps the on-air personality will wait until First Take to address Brown. That being said, this isn't the first time Smith has been involved in a feud with an active NBA player. Smith and LeBron James have had their fair share of heated exchanges.
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This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 8:58 PM.