Jaylen Brown has criticized the way NBA awards are determined, arguing that the voting process is subjective and that players should not depend on individual recognition for their happiness.
Brown questioned the standards used to select award winners, suggesting that media members sometimes favor particular players or narratives rather than applying consistent criteria.
He explained that constantly pursuing awards can become frustrating because the expectations surrounding them frequently change.
“They move the bar constantly. You’re chasing a bar that doesn’t exist. Like, who’s the best player in the world, or who’s the MVP this year? It’s subjective. The media. The people that you need to vote for you to win these awards. Sometimes they vote for their favorites, or they vote for people that the storyline they want to win. It’s marketing. It moves.”
Brown said he prefers to focus on his responsibilities to the team rather than allowing outside opinions to determine how he evaluates himself.
The former NBA Finals MVP emphasized that leadership, accountability, and contributing to team success are more important to him than receiving individual honors.
“If I’m chasing what moves, then I’m never going to be content. I’m never going to be happy. I could care less what they think about me. I could care less if I win an award. All I care about is the stuff that matters with my team, my teammates, being in the locker room. Was I a good leader today? How did I handle adversity today? Did I do whatever I could for us to win? Did I sacrifice? Did I speak up when I needed to speak?”
Brown continued by questioning the legitimacy of the criteria used to determine award winners, describing the voting system as a “fake committee.”
He argued that the qualities contributing to a winning team are often more meaningful than the recognition players receive from outside the organization.
“These are the things that build a winning environment, and these are the things that lead to winning culture. All the awards that people chase, all the outside validation, it doesn’t even matter. It’s made up. Somebody made up an award and made up a fake committee to give people these awards based upon what criteria nobody actually really knows.”
Despite his criticism, Brown acknowledged that winning awards can benefit players by increasing their visibility and giving them a larger platform.
He also recognized that receiving acknowledgment for years of hard work can be rewarding.
However, Brown warned against allowing those achievements to become the main source of personal satisfaction.
“It feels great to be validated because it gives you a platform. It gives you the opportunity to have a bigger voice, or to be rewarded for your hard work over the course of however many years or whatever the case may be. I understand that. People want that. But at the same time, if you wrap your identity in that, you will never be happy. You won’t. And I won’t let anybody or anything control my happiness or my peace. So you just got to not give a fuck.”
