Jaylen Brown Tried to Recruit LeBron James During a Livestream and It Got Awkward Fast

Jaylen Brown has been a 76er for about five minutes and he’s already working the phones. Or in this case, working a livestream.

The newly acquired Philadelphia star was watching the France-Morocco World Cup quarterfinal on Thursday with popular streamer IShowSpeed when he decided to make a direct pitch to LeBron James. Through the camera, naturally.

Brown told Speed — whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr. — to deliver a message. “So you gotta tell LeBron he gotta pull up, man. Pull up to Philly.”

Speed took the assignment seriously. He leaned into the stream and shouted: “LeBron, pull up to Philly. Think about it. LeBron, Jaylen Brown, PG13.”

There was one problem with that pitch. Paul George is not in Philadelphia anymore. He was shipped to Boston as part of the exact same trade that brought Brown to the 76ers. Brown had to correct Speed on the spot.

“He’s gone. He’s gone, bro.”

It was a light moment in what otherwise felt like a pretty raw conversation. Brown got real about the trade that ended his 10-year run with the Celtics. The 2024 Finals MVP didn’t hide his frustration.

“It’s a crazy business, bro. Don’t become a basketball player. There’s no loyalty, there’s no love,” Brown said on the stream. “They packed me up, sayonara chat, I’m out of here.”

The deal that sent Brown to Philadelphia stunned a lot of people. Boston traded him for George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. This was a guy who had been a cornerstone for the Celtics since they drafted him in 2016. He helped them win their 17th championship in 2024 and was coming off one of the best seasons of his career.

As for LeBron, this is just the latest recruiting pitch he’s heard this offseason. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the 76ers, Cavaliers, and Heat remain the frontrunners in his free agency search. People close to James say a decision might not come quickly.

Whether a World Cup livestream cameo actually moves the needle for LeBron? Who knows. But Brown made sure the message got through. Even if his co-recruiter was a little behind on the roster moves.