Another Twitch stream from Jaylen Brown featured more controversial comments, but he actually named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this time. Brown tried to keep it professional after he got fined by the NBA for some comments criticizing officiating last stream. Gilgeous-Alexander was mentioned by Brown for likely winning another MVP Award by getting the same foul calls that Brown is asking for.
Brown said the following to his Twitch stream on Wednesday evening:
“I had to say something. There’s an inconsistency, and it’s there. You called me for all these offensive fouls, and that’s not the reason why we lost, but Shai is about to win his 2nd MVP with the same move.”
Many players around the league feel the same way about Gilgeous-Alexander getting foul calls that not everyone gets. Brown felt that he doesn’t get nearly enough calls relative to how the defense covers him and compared to other superstars around the league.
The NBA felt Brown was out of line and many fans thought less of him for blaming officiating for his higher-seeded team blowing a 3-1 series lead. Brown said he was going to slow down on getting in trouble for his comments, but he still decided to name Shai.
Why Jaylen Brown Called Out Shai
The Boston Celtics getting shockingly eliminated in the first round ended Brown’s best individual regular season. Brown’s initial commentary on Twitch featured him referencing various plays of him taking a jump shot and trying to draw contact without calls.
Many of these calls were made during the regular season, and Brown even got a couple of three-point plays out of it in the series. However, referees tend to call less fouls in the closing minutes of a close playoff game. Brown didn’t get a few calls that could have easily given him free throws in other scenarios.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named for being among the best at the same move that Brown does going for fouls. Brown claimed that Shai is about to win his second MVP for the Oklahoma City Thunder due to the officials consistently making that call for him. The claims of Brown are that the league is inconsistent with how they make foul calls for various players.
Does Shai Get Favoritism From The NBA?
Multiple other players have said similar things to Brown about Shai getting calls that they don’t. Gilgeous-Alexander is considered one of the best players in the world and clearly gets the benefit of the doubt from the referees.
However, it must be noted that officiating historically makes changes come playoff time with the whistle becoming far less common. Shai was seen complaining in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals due to the Los Angeles Lakers getting the benefit of doubt against him.
Brown’s overall point comes back to wanting consistency in fouls being the same in both regular season and playoff games, along with all players getting the same calls. This will never happen in the NBA since the biggest names get the most favoritism out of respect for their play.
Jaylen Brown Calls Out NBA For Favoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander