Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown takes his mother on a surreal journey

On Friday, the Boston Celtics held a huge parade to rejoice their record 18th NBA championship. For Mechalle Brown, mother of NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, the last five days have been very busy.

In Brown’s world, it takes a village to boost a child, and a victory for one is a victory for all. This week it gave the impression of the entire village was calling for celebration.

“It was very surreal,” Brown said Thursday from Boston. “Did this really occur? It was a huge, overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness. It was hot. It was busy with all calls. People keep calling, my phone keeps ringing.

“I’m ready for this to finish. I’m glad they won, but there was a lot going on.

I watched Monday’s podium celebration and waited, like everyone else, to see who would win the Finals MVP, aka the NBA’s version of the Best Actor Oscar.

Although it takes a village to win, there is just one MVP.

Brown was probably the most rated player within the postseason, but with forward Jayson Tatum having a monster game on Monday, there was a likelihood Tatum can be a popular selection – not the correct one, but a popular one.

When NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Brown, I used to be pleasantly surprised. A wave of emotions washed over Mechalle Brown. She closed her eyes, hugged her youngest son, and a wave of memories and emotions flooded her.

“First we see him when he is 9 months old, chasing a ball, then he is 27 years old and everything he has worked for and put great effort into has happened,” she said. “Knowing that he wanted it so bad and that he was able to help his team and get recognition at the same time, there’s nothing better than seeing it all come full circle. It was just overwhelming and an amazing feeling to see that.”

Later, within the postgame interview room, Brown described a dream he had earlier that day. He dreamed that when he woke up, his maternal grandmother, Dianne Varnado, wrapped her arms around him. “I knew everything would be fine,” he said. Mechalle Brown burst into tears when she heard her son remember her mother, who died in March 2023.

“When he talked about my mom and his dream, that’s what made me cry,” she said. “I wanted him to succeed, but it was too much for me.”

Mechalle Brown and her brother Byron Varnado were born and raised in Muskegon, Michigan. Eventually she moved to Atlanta, and every summer her two sons spent a few weeks in Michigan with their grandparents.

Her grandmother, an educator, helped establish the foundations of discipline for the boys. She gave them homework and reading to do before they went to play basketball. “What kid wants to do homework in the summer?” Mechalle Brown said. “All the things she did and why she did them, he understood growing up. He didn’t like them on the time, but later he understood why.

She added that her mother “played a huge role in shaping who Jaylen is by being a person of service and learning by example.

“She treated people with kindness, whether it was the most important person or someone who wasn’t the most important person,” Mechalle Brown said. “She always acted this way. She made sure Jaylen and Quenton had values, that they had character and integrity as young black men, and the way they conducted themselves. She taught them how to use their voices. When Jaylen cried, he knew that everything he was, he saw that that was where it came from. She was the originator of the idea.”

What’s next for Brown? Thanks to the NBA title and the Finals MVP award, his level is raised. His mother said her son will proceed to work with the 7uice foundation and develop a bridge program that provides brown and black youth the chance to pursue their dreams in fields aside from athletics.

One thing Brown won’t do is let fame and money drown out his voice. Brown and his mother discussed the subject three years ago when he traveled to Atlanta in 2020 to take part in a demonstration following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

“He said, ‘I have a lot of money, but I’m still a man, I’m still a black man, and my voice needs to be heard,’” Mechalle Brown said, recalling a conversation she had together with her son.

“We had this conversation and that’s what led him to go to Atlanta. Because no matter how much money he has, he is still seen as a black man and must stand up to the injustice he sees in the world. Fortunately, he has a platform that most people don’t have.”

She also wants her son to earn a degree at Cal, where he spent nine months before starting his NBA profession. Mechalle Brown received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her MBA from American InterContinental University. Her mother earned a degree from Grand Valley State University. “Athletics was never my passion,” she said. “My goal was education. I definitely want him to return back and finish it. We’ll speak about it in the summertime. He promised it to me and his grandmother.

With the whole lot Brown has on his plate, graduating won’t be easy. On the opposite hand, making it to the NBA wasn’t easy, nor was winning the NBA title and being Finals MVP.

As Mechalle Brown told her sons from a young age, “Struggling is inevitable when you’re trying to achieve great success.”

We finished our conversation. Mechalle Brown graciously used her time. There was a lot to do now – more calls to make, more friends and relatives to entertain. Of course, there have been preparations for the championship parade.

Brown said she is looking forward to Friday’s festivities.

“I’m really excited about the parade,” she said. “I’m excited to see it in motion and witness it. It’s a part of our family history.

“This is the cherry on top.”

Indeed, the Brown family finally gets the parade it deserves.