Jaylen Brown, the Philadelphia 76ers forward, was seen putting on boxing gloves at a boxing event in Lagos, Nigeria, just weeks before the start of the new NBA season, which opens on October 20, 2026.
Brown was in the country with his charitable organization, the 7uice Foundation, when he took part in a training session rather than a competitive bout. According to the report, the American forward acted as a sparring partner during the workout rather than fighting in an actual match, much to the relief of his new team in Philadelphia. Lagos is Nigeria's largest city and a major commercial and cultural hub in West Africa.
A blockbuster trade to Philadelphia
Brown's move from the Boston Celtics to the 76ers was one of the biggest stories of the last NBA offseason. He was named Finals MVP in 2024, the year he helped the Celtics win the NBA championship. Brown, a former third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, spent his entire career in Boston before the trade. In Philadelphia, he joins a roster built around center Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player. The 76ers and the Celtics both play in the Eastern Conference and have long been division rivals.
Boxing as cross-training
Boxing has a reputation for violence, particularly when practiced by athletes from other disciplines, but the sport also carries real benefits for cross-training. It is known to improve endurance, coordination between limbs and overall agility, among other advantages, which is why athletes in other sports sometimes use it as part of their conditioning.
Backlash on social media
Brown's appearance in the ring drew a wave of criticism on social media in the days that followed. One user on X wrote that the NBA season begins in a month and he is already doing things like this, giving so much material to haters and trolls. Another commented that this season he seems to be doing everything except play basketball. A third joked that he had only been in Philadelphia for ten minutes and already thinks he is Adonis Creed, a reference to the boxer played by Michael B. Jordan in the "Creed" film series.
A family history in the ring
Brown's interest in boxing is not new. His father was a professional boxer, and his grandfather worked as a sparring partner for Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali and Frazier fought three times in the 1970s, including their 1971 bout billed as the "Fight of the Century," and are remembered as two of the greatest heavyweight champions in boxing history.
