NBA Star Jaylen Brown Says Getting Rich Has Changed His Relationships: “Conversations Become Invoices”

Jaylen Brown

NBA Star Jaylen Brown Says Getting Rich Has Changed His Relationships: “Conversations Become Invoices”

Jaylen Brown is getting candid about the personal price that can come with success.

The NBA star recently opened up about how accumulating money, fame and status has affected some of his closest relationships, admitting that his success has sometimes left him feeling isolated.

During an appearance on the Boardroom podcast, Brown said he began experiencing the effects of his growing basketball career long before reaching the NBA. As a teenager, opportunities started relieving some of the financial pressure on his family.

“It wasn’t necessarily monetary wealth, but you could see wealth was being accumulated.”

He explained that his mother no longer had to cover certain basketball expenses, including camps and sneakers. But as his opportunities increased, Brown said he also began noticing envy and changing dynamics with people around him.

The 29-year-old athlete said some of the most painful experiences have involved people closest to him.

“Friends, family, they can let you down, man.”

Brown added that acquiring significant money, fame and influence can put added pressure on close relationships, describing navigating those changing dynamics as one of the hardest parts of his success. He said it can “put you on an island” and isolate you.

Perhaps his most telling comment came while describing how financial expectations can begin creeping into everyday relationships:

“Conversations become invoices, the lines get blurred, and it gets tough.”

Brown also admitted there have been times when he needed support but didn’t feel comfortable asking for it. He said people can assume he has everything “figured out” or can afford whatever he needs simply because he’s wealthy.

“You don’t necessarily feel like you can ask for help.”

Brown, who was selected third overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, signed a five-year, $303.7 million extension with the Boston Celtics in 2023. After spending 10 seasons in Boston, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in July.