SAN FRANCISCO — Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is considering legal action against the city of Beverly Hills, he told ESPN’s Andscape, after police shut down a private event he was hosting Saturday during NBA All-Star weekend.
Brown told Andscape he was embarrassed and angry that Beverly Hills police shut down the event around 7pm on Saturday without any discussions with him or the homeowner. Brown previously said closing the event based on the belief of officials who did not enter the house “raises serious due process concerns” and results in “significant financial and reputational harm.”
“I’m not the legal type to go after the guy, but you’ve embarrassed my brand and my team. I think that’s unfair,” Brown told Andscape. “And as for you continuing to tell lies in your apology statement, I’m offended by that. I’ll be back with my team this weekend, and we’ll make a decision.”
He added: “It is difficult to say that you were not targeted.”
Speaking to Andscape after the Celtics’ 121-110 win over the Golden State Warriors, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP said he spent $300,000 on the canceled event while his sponsors spent roughly $300,000 to $500,000.
The city of Beverly Hills apologized to Brown on Thursday, noting that a previous statement about why police closed the event was inaccurate. Brown continued to object to the city’s action, which he said was “based on biased information.”
The Boston Globe reported on Sunday that a juvenile was denied a residence permit due to previous violations at the Beverly Hills home owned by Oakley founder Jim Jannard. Brown said this was “completely false” because the event — to promote Brown’s Oakley performance brand, 741Performance — was a private, invitation-only gathering and not a commercial or public event that required a permit.
“After further internal review, the city has determined that its previous public communications contained inaccurate information,” Beverly Hills officials wrote in a statement Thursday on Instagram. “Specifically, no permit application has been submitted or denied for this event, and the residence has no prior relevant violations on record. The City takes full responsibility for the internal error that led to the distribution of the inaccurate statement and is working to ensure this does not happen again.”
Beverly Hills City Manager Nancy Hunt Coffey also apologized to Brown and Jannard’s family, but added that city staff “observed conditions that were believed to be violations of city code and for that reason alone, the event was terminated.”
Brown described those apologies on his X account on Thursday as “a half-assed apology after the damage has already been done.”
“I wanted to enjoy my time, and I felt like that was wasted,” Brown told reporters after Thursday’s game in which he recorded a triple-double. “I was embarrassed. If this had happened to me, I’m sure it had happened to a group of people in the past. I look at it this way. There’s probably a group of people who don’t scream, and fall into tone-deaf fears, which is unfortunate. I’m not sure what the outcome will be. … Even the statement they issued, they included some things that weren’t true, even in the apology.”
“So I don’t think the apology is acceptable. I lost a lot of money (with our partners, etc.) People were assuming we didn’t follow proper protocols. So, all around it’s just a bad taste in my mouth. I feel very insulted. My team is upset. I’m not sure what the outcome will be. All I know is they’re some bulls—.”
Off the field, Brown has a reputation as a socially conscious thinker and has lectured at MIT and Harvard.
On Saturday, a panel discussion with National Basketball Players Association President Andre Iguodala was about to begin when police suddenly stopped the event. The rap star spoke to Russell in a previous episode. There were also plans for an after-party expected to host 200 guests.
“I’m not the legal type to go after the guy, but you have embarrassed my brand and my team. I think that’s unfair. And for you to continue to tell lies in your apology statement, I’m offended by that.”
Jaylen Brown
“The goal of the event was to talk about future culture, future leadership, and how industries work together,” Brown told Andscape. “Change doesn’t come from one entity. It comes from everyone working together. I had leaders from different fields all talking about (what) the next generation can and should look like.”
When asked if he felt the shutdown was racially motivated, Brown told Andscape: “I don’t know if it was me. I don’t know if it was a demographic thing. I can’t speak for them. All I know is: We were targeted. People can infer the rest.”
Brown was not committed to meeting with Beverly Hills officials when the Celtics return to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Sunday.
“What’s going to be said? It’s already over,” he told Andscape. “Can’t get that moment back. Brand revitalization. All-Star Weekend. Can’t get it back.
“All those people will never be there again. Plus, All-Star weekend is over. It’s like, what can you say?”
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes contributed to this report.
