Celtics’ Jaylen Brown created 741 brand out of ‘boredom,’ but hopes it can inspire other athletes

"It would be great for it to be successful. But even if it's not, who cares? I'm just kind of tired of seeing the same old things."

When a star athlete does something unique from a business perspective, there’s typically a motivation or an inspiration for doing so. That isn’t entirely the case for Jaylen Brown, though.

The Celtics star introduced his performance brand, 741, while also unveiling his signature shoe, Rover, on Monday. In a statement that coincided with the launch, Brown said that “741 is more than just a sneaker brand—it’s a statement about independence, creativity, and ownership.”

While Brown has a big imagination for 741, there wasn’t any major motivation that caused him to launch the brand and his signature shoe.

“Honestly, boredom,” Brown told reporters when asked what caused him to launch 741. “It would be great for it to be successful. But even if it’s not, who cares? I’m just kind of tired of seeing the same old things, the deals constructed the same way.

“So hopefully in the next 20 years, even if this isn’t like super successful, that it sparks other athletes, other creators to have the courage to start to build stuff on their own.”

Brown’s decision to launch his own performance brand and signature shoe is a bit uncommon for an NBA star of his status. Stephon Marbury and Shaquille O’Neal created their own brands in the past, but most other NBA stars launch a signature line of apparel with major brands such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and others.

Brown was previously repped by Adidas, but his contract with the brand expired in 2021. He’s been a sneaker free agent ever since, wearing shoes from a variety of brands during Celtics games over the last few years. It was claimed in Monday’s press release that Brown passed on over $50 million in endorsement deals prior to launching 741.

As Brown has notably not been shy to do things his own way over the years, he said he doesn’t have a problem with players signing deals with the legacy brands. He’s hoping that his decision to launch 741 can either give players another option or do something the same, though.

“My whole ideology is being able to create other options,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of guys who feel like they want to do other things, and they’re afraid, or don’t know how. As a Player’s Association rep, I listen to them. I listen to guys’ stories as they get older. I listen to guys’ stories as they transition through their career and they wish they had other options.

“So, the solution for me was to start using my platform to create [those], spark others, and show them exactly how they can do it.”

During his sneaker free agency, Brown notably called out Nike in 2022 when the brand opted to discontinue its relationship with Kyrie Irving as a signature athlete. Brown believes those comments also played a role in USA Basketball’s decision not to include him on the roster for the Olympics this past summer.

Brown is hoping that 741 can cause some change in the sneaker industry, saying he’s OK with being a disruptor.

“I’m excited. My brand is solution-based,” Brown said. “People like to use the word disruptive, but if you’ve got to disrupt some things in order for it to end up being a little bit more of an efficient model, then that’s what it takes.”

The shoes Brown will wear might not be the only thing that’s different about his look this season. He looked notably in shape, appearing to have more muscle mass than he did when the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Finals.

Brown shared that he was able get in better shape as he traveled around the world this summer, making stops in Brazil and the Middle East. He credited his staff, saying he had great “discipline” while they scheduled everything.

“The devil is in the details,” Brown said. “Leave no stone unturned.”

As for why Brown opted to get more muscular, he pointed to what happened last year.

“I put on some muscle coming back last year, and it paid off for me, just by being healthier, not having too many injuries, protecting my ligaments, and my joints,” Brown said. “Then, just having an extra gear when it came to the playoffs, I was able to still play 70 games, picked up guys full court, play both sides of the ball with intensity, and I maintained it all the way through the playoffs, through the Finals.

“I like that feeling, so I just added to it. I did more to just get myself in even better shape to prepare for another late postseason run.”