Paul Pierce Claims That Celtics Hate Is The Reason Why Jaylen Brown Isn't an MVP

Jaylen Brown has emerged as a perennial All-Star and championship-caliber athlete in this current era of the NBA. But, in the eyes of another star who used to play for the Boston Celtics, Brown has not gotten the love that he deserves.

On an episode of the "No Fouls Given" podcast, Celtics icon Paul Pierce decried the fact that Brown has not won the NBA MVP award yet in his career. According to Pierce, Brown faces an uphill battle trying to get to that milestone.

"Everybody hates the Celtics. We all know this. Why isn’t he?" Pierce wondered out loud. "Nobody had the Celtics third in East with no Tatum. The guy is putting up 30 consistently."

To be precise, Brown is averaging career highs in scoring (29.5 ppg), field goal percentage (50.5% from the field), and assists (5.0 apg). In his last five outings, the 2024 Finals MVP has averaged 30.0 points per game, with his best scoring performance coming in a Dec. 28 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, when he dropped 37 at Moda Center.

For Pierce, this type of prolific offense puts Brown in the same conversation as other present-day greats. "Everybody's talking about Wemby, I get it... Shai and Joker... But this guy has to get some type of recognition. He should be in there."

As Pierce, who won Finals MVP honors 16 years prior to Brown, pointed out, pundits did not set high expectations for the Celtics this season with Jayson Tatum recuperating from his Achilles injury. To the Celtics' credit, they entered 2026 with a 20–12 record; with their victory over the Sacramento Kings on New Year's Day, they improved to 21 wins to maintain a firm grip on the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Brown's leadership by example is a driving force behind the Celtics' success this season, but with incredible performances from the likes of Nikola Jokic and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it will be tough for voters to give Brown a nod over the rest of the MVP field.

Don't tell that to Pierce, though. For the Celtics great, the feelings of the NBA world towards his beloved franchise are keeping Brown from reaching the top of the MVP ladder.