Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown is a man of many talents. When he’s not cooking defenders on the hardwood, the former NBA Finals MVP frequently streams on Twitch, dedicates himself to community works and educates college students on the importance of investing and financial literacy.
Recently, the five-time All-Star added another wrinkle to his awe-inspiring resume by venturing into boxing.
Brown, 29, made his amateur boxing debut on Wednesday in Nigeria.
His boxing debut may come as a shock to some, but Brown has trained in Muay Thai for several years and previously discussed potentially joining UFC when he retires from pro basketball.
“I’ve toyed with this, and I’ve told some people that, maybe post part of my [basketball] career, I would love to partake in UFC or even boxing,” Brown told reporters in February.
His interest didn’t seem like a mere pipe dream, either, as the Sixers star has already consulted with UFC president Dana White about one day entering the octagon.
“I’ve talked to Dana White about some stuff, but we’ll see as things go on,” Brown said. “We’ll see.”
Jaylen Brown Competes in Boxing Match
Sixers star Jaylen Brown traveled to Nigeria with his non-profit, 7uice Foundation, this summer. While there, he competed in an interesting side quest: an amateur boxing match.
The foundation posted an Instagram video featuring highlights of Brown’s boxing match.
“The metaphor is you gotta fight for what you want,” the caption read.
According to a poster in the background of a video posted to 7uice Foundation’s Instagram page, the fight took place on Sept. 8 at the NIS Gymnasium in Lagos. The identity of Brown’s opponent is unclear, but he was nearly as tall as the 6-foot-6 Brown.
“I did zero prep for this,” Brown commented.
Despite his scarce formal training, Brown looked relatively sharp in the amateur boxing match. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, Brown threw a couple of jabs and showed sharp defense.
Perhaps it came naturally for the second-generation athlete.
Brown’s father, Quinton Marselles Brown, was a former professional boxer with a 33-18-1 record, including 25 knockout wins.
Jaylen Brown Mulling UFC Career After NBA
At NBA All-Star Weekend earlier this year, Brown stated that he may follow in his father’s footsteps by transitioning into combat sports after his NBA career.
Brown has been training in Muay Thai since 2023.
“Just wanted to challenge myself in a different way, challenge my body,” Brown said about Muay Thai in a video with Men’s Health last year. “It’s been great for opening up my hips, which is great for defense, but also being able to stay low, having greater balance, being able to stay in certain positions for a longer period of time.”
For now, Brown has his sights set on the upcoming NBA season, his first with the Sixers.
“Whatever the team needs, I’ll be listening and waiting, but my mentality is to kill. You know what I mean? I feel like I want blood this year. I feel like that’s the mentality: I want blood,” he said during a Twitch stream last week.
Jaylen Brown Makes Boxing Debut in Nigeria