Why did Jaylen Brown start his own sneaker brand? ‘Boredom’

Nearly every prominent NBA player has a sneaker deal with a major supplier like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, etc. Jaylen Brown chose a different path.

This season, the Celtics star will wear a new shoe designed and produced by his own brand. performance brand741. Officially called the 741 Performance Rover, he rocked the sneaker in black and gray colorways during Celtics training camp and plans to distribute pairs to several NBA and college players when it becomes public next month.

Brown, who wore Adidas for the first few years of his career, knows he can’t guarantee the staying power of the 741. But he hopes his decision to stray from the traditional path, which included turning down more than $50 million in endorsement offers from major shoe companies, will inspire other athletes to do the same in the future, according to a press release.

“Boredom, honestly,” Brown said Friday when asked why he wanted to start his own sneaker brand. “It would be great if it was successful. But even if it wasn’t, who cares? I’m a little tired of seeing the same old stuff, deals being done the same way. I hope that in the next 20 years, even if it’s not so successful, we’ll encourage other athletes and other creators to have the courage to start building something on their own.” encourages to be.

“I plan to share my story, how many resources it took, all the details of everything I went through. Maybe we can turn this into a documentary or something like that. But honestly, to be a catalyst for what I want the future to look like: more brands, more creativity, not just something driven by big companies. That’s what I want to see.”

Brown had openly feuded with Nike in the past, which he believed had gotten in his way. He recently left the US Olympic team. However, he said he has no problem with actors choosing to sign with big brands.

“If that’s the path you want to go, I salute that,” the NBA Finals MVP said. “My whole ideology is to create other options. There are many men who feel like they want to do other things and are afraid or don’t know how. As a representative of the Players Association, I am listening to them. I hear stories of men as they get older, and I hear stories of men transitioning in their careers and wishing they had other options.

“So a solution for me was to use my platform, create for them, mobilize others and show them exactly how you can do it. But some people may still choose to work with these big companies or sign with a big agency because they feel like it’s right for them, I salute that, I have no problem with that, but if you want another option, I would like to offer it to you.

The launch of 741 was one of the off-season efforts for Brown, who also recorded a track called “Just Do It” with rapper FERG. In between these off-field pursuits, the 27-year-old said he follows a “very strict training and nutrition routine” and has added a noticeable amount of muscle to his frame in preparation for training camp.

“I came back last year and put on some muscle, and that paid off in being healthier, not having as many injuries, protecting my ligaments and joints,” Brown said. “And when it came to the playoffs, I had an extra bit of equipment. I was still able to play 70 games, put guys on full court, play both sides of the ball intensely, and maintain that throughout the playoffs, throughout the Finals.

“I liked that feeling, so I added to it and did more to get myself into even better shape so I could prepare for another end-of-season run.”