Philadelphia 76ers welcome Jaylen Brown, who’s ‘putting in the work’ to win the city’s first title since 1983

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The Philadelphia 76ers officially welcomed swingman Jaylen Brown to the City of Brotherly Love after a blockbuster offseason trade helped land the former NBA Finals MVP.

Local kids at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center welcomed Brown the second he stepped through the gym doors Thursday afternoon for an introductory press conference. Last season, the five-time NBA All-Star had the league’s fourth-highest scoring average, with 28.7 points per game.

Not long after sitting down in front of the media, he thanked the Sixers for letting the rec center be his first stop in Philadelphia.

“Community is very important to me, so I’m excited to be able to do [it] here, my first intro to Philadelphia,” Brown said.

Brown’s initial reaction to Philly trade

Brown comes to Philly after spending the first decade of his career with the Boston Celtics, who were defeated by the Sixers in the first round of last season’s playoffs in May. The arrival of the five-time NBA All-Star is a result of dealing away Paul George’s max contract and multiple draft picks.

“When I first got traded, I just threw my phone across the room,” Brown said when discussing the initial shock of last month’s transaction.

But not long after the news broke, Brown said the first player to reach out to him was Tyrese Maxey, the multiple-time All-Star and former Most Improved Player.

“He reached out and was like, ‘I know there’s a lot of stuff going on right now, but we’re excited to have you,’” Brown said. “We talk damn near every day almost. We’ve got group chats, multiple now, and we’re all trying to figure this thing out.”

Signing LeBron, focusing on the ‘process of winning’

Not long after Brown’s move was announced, Philadelphia made arguably the biggest acquisition in franchise history by signing LeBron James to a two-year, $8 million contract. With James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia isn’t just adding a four-time NBA champion and multiple-time league MVP, but also securing the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

“LeBron, he’s active in the group chat, so we’re just trying to all get on the same page,” Brown said.

Brown, James and Maxey are teaming up with former MVP Joel Embiid, NBA All-Rookie First Team member VJ Edgecombe and multiple free agent signings: two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ariel Hukporti, who won a ring with the New York Knicks last season, Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade.

“I think everybody knows how incredible the opportunity that we have [is], but we’ve also got to put in the work,” Brown said. “My focus is on putting in the work, earning the respect from the city, from the coaching staff, everything, like it take[s] time. I understand how that process of winning works. You’ve got to build from the foundation and build up. You can’t skip steps, so we’re not skipping those steps, we start early.”

The Sixers also added Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Philon averaged 22 points per game with the Alabama Crimson Tide, which earned him All-America Third Team and All-SEC First Team honors.

The team’s front office also saw a major shakeup with Mike Gansey, former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager, becoming the Sixers’ new president of basketball operations. He’s replacing Daryl Morey, who was let go after he and managing partner Josh Harris decided it was “time for a fresh start,” according to the Associated Press.

Brown’s first appearance in a Sixers uniform could possibly be in an Oct. 10 preseason matchup against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Sixers will play at Xfinity Mobile Arena in another preseason game on Oct. 16. The 2026-2027 NBA season will kick off later that month, but the full regular season schedule has not yet been released.

The Sixers haven’t won an NBA championship since 1983. Featuring Basketball Hall of Famers Julius Erving, Bobby Jones and Moses Malone, Philadelphia swept the Lakers in the Finals and went 65-17 in the regular season.