COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Boston Celtics are in town to play the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Celtics star Jaylen Brown decided to take some time on his day off to stop by his old metro Atlanta high school.
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Brown spoke at Wheeler High School about adversity and overcoming it in honor of its MLK Day event on Friday.
"I just trying to give them some words of encouragement and inspiration. I feel like time has gone by really fast. Ten years feels like two years‚" Brown told Channel 2’s Alison Mastrangelo.
The school then retired Brown’s No. 0 jersey, but not without a small hiccup. The rope to unveil the jersey snapped, so someone climbed up to the top to uncover it.
Here’s the actual moment when they climbed up & were able to reveal Jaylen Brown’s retired 0 Jersey. pic.twitter.com/x9QkbRhRZd
— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) January 16, 2026
The Celtics guard told Mastrangelo that he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
“It was just fitting. It was my high school experience all wrapped up into that one moment right there,” he said.
Mastrangelo asked if he had dreamt of seeing his number retired.
“100% did. It’s always been a part of my mentality. Consistency and hard has paid off. Always felt like I would be a star. But to be able to come back to my community is more important than anything,” Brown.
Brown and Wheeler High School won the Georgia 6A state title during his senior season. Brown finished that game with 22 points and perfect from the free throw line.
“I’ve had so many experiences, good and bad ... Wheeler has really prepared me for life,” he said.
He would play one year at the University of California-Berkeley before Boston drafted him at No. 3 in the 2016 NBA Draft. Brown won the Most Valuable Player in the 2024 NBA Finals.
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