SAN FRANCISCO — Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is contemplating legal action against Beverly Hills after police interrupted a private event he was hosting on Saturday during NBA All-Star Weekend, he informed ESPN’s Andscape.
Brown expressed to Andscape his feelings of embarrassment and anger regarding the Beverly Hills police’s decision to shut down his event around 7 p.m. Saturday, without prior discussions with either him or the homeowner. He previously stated that ending the event based on the assumptions of officials who didn’t actually enter the residence “raises serious due-process concerns” and has caused “significant financial and reputational harm.”
“I’m not someone who typically pursues legal action, but you embarrassed my brand and my team. I find that to be unfair,” Brown told Andscape. “And for you to persist in telling falsehoods in your apology statement is offensive to me. I will reconnect with my team this weekend to decide our next steps.”
He continued: “It’s difficult to say that you were not being targeted.”
The 2024 NBA Finals MVP, following the Celtics’ 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors, revealed that he invested $300,000 in the canceled event, with his sponsors contributing approximately $300,000 to $500,000.
Beverly Hills issued an apology to Brown on Thursday, acknowledging inaccuracies in a prior statement regarding the reasons police shut down the event. Brown has continued to contest the city’s actions, which he claims were based on “biased information.”
The Boston Globe reported Sunday that an event permit had been denied due to past violations at the Beverly Hills residence belonging to Oakley founder Jim Jannard. Brown labeled this as “completely false,” asserting that the event was a private, invitation-only affair designed to promote his Oakley performance brand, 741Performance, and did not require a permit.
“Upon further internal review, the City has determined that its prior public communication contained inaccurate information,” Beverly Hills officials stated in an Instagram message on Thursday. “in particular, no permit application was submitted nor denied for the event, and the residence does not have any prior related violations on record. The City takes full responsibility for the internal error that led to the distribution of inaccurate information and is taking steps to ensure it does not recur.”
City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey also apologized to Brown and the Jannard family but emphasized that city staff “observed circumstances believed to be violations of City code, and for that reason alone, the event was terminated.”
Brown dismissed those apologies on his X account on Thursday as a “half-assed apology after the harm is already done.”
“I wanted to enjoy myself, and I felt that joy was taken away,” Brown remarked to reporters after Thursday’s game, in which he achieved a triple-double. “I was embarrassed. If it happened to me, I’m sure it has happened to many others in the past. I view it in that light. There are likely many who remain silent, and that is unfortunate. I’m uncertain what the conclusion will be. … Even the statement they released contained inaccuracies, even within the apology.
“so, I do not accept the apology. I lost a significant amount of money with our partners, among others. People were making assumptions that we didn’t follow proper protocols. Overall, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m extremely offended. My team is offended. I’m unsure what the outcome will be. All I know is it’s some bulls—.”
Outside of basketball, Brown is known as a socially aware intellectual who has given lectures at MIT and Harvard.
On Saturday, just as a panel discussion featuring National Basketball Players Association president Andre Iguodala was set to commence, the police abruptly ended the event. Rap artist LaRussell had spoken on an prior panel, and there were plans for an afterparty that aimed to accommodate 200 guests.
“I’m not a legality type of pursuing guy, but you embarrassed my brand and my team. And I think that is unfair. And for you to continue to tell untruths in your apology statement, I feel offended by it.”
Jaylen Brown
“The event aimed to discuss future culture, leadership, and how industries can collaborate,” Brown shared with Andscape. “Change doesn’t happen through a single entity; it’s about everyone working together. I gathered leaders from various fields to talk about what the next generation could and should look like.”
When asked if he believed the shutdown was racially motivated, Brown replied to Andscape: “I can’t say if it was a personal issue or a demographic one. I can’t speak for them. All I know is that we were targeted. People can draw their own conclusions.”
Brown was noncommittal about meeting with Beverly Hills officials when the Celtics come back to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Sunday.
“What can possibly be said? It’s all in the past,” he told Andscape. “You can’t regain that moment. Brand activation. All-Star Weekend. That’s all gone.”
“All those individuals won’t be present again. also, All-Star Weekend has concluded. So, what can they possibly communicate?”
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes contributed to this report.
