Jaylen Brown and the NBA referees have had a real rollercoaster of a week. Last Monday night Brown was ejected from the Celtics' game against the Spurs for arguing a non-call when he felt he was fouled. Then he was critical of the way foul-baiting was rewarded a few days later.
Last night, a week after his ejection and just a few days after he basically called out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for basketball ethics violations, Brown was rewarded with a career-high 21 free throw attempts in a win over the Suns.
Brown's 21 free throw attempts were his most since he shot 16 in late November. Previously, he had shot more than 15 free throws just once in his 10-year career when he shot 16 against the Raptors five years ago. With the righteous whistle of basketball justice finally blowing in his direction, he sounded appreciative.
Jaylen Brown on getting 21 free throw attempts tonight:
— jb (@lockedupjb) March 17, 2026
“Man, I ain’t never ever got to the free throw line that much.” 😭pic.twitter.com/GGW25MxVT4
"Man, I ain't never ever got to the free throw line that much. It's crazy," said a smiling Brown. "I feel like that's how I normally play, but you know, today, it was, I guess it got called a little different. I'm grateful. I was able to knock them down and was able to get the win."
Yes, it was like it was called a little different and people didn't take long to notice. Brown earned 10 free throw attempts in the first quarter and it there were immediate accusations that he too was playing the flop game.
Jaylen Brown went from complaining about SGA... To becoming a foul baiter.
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 17, 2026
He has TEN free throws in the FIRST QUARTER 😭 pic.twitter.com/8A3zqdgo3A
This was just the 12th time a player has shot 20 or more free throws in a game this season. His 21 tied with DeMar DeRozan's total on Sunday night and is the seventh highest total of the year. Only Austin Reaves, Jalen Johnson, Denny Avdija, Nikola Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander have shot more. Oh, and Bam Adebayo shot 43 last week, which almost isn't worth thinking about.
Brown also shot 10 free throws as part of a 18-point fourth quarter, which must have been frustrating for Phoenix to endure. Which might be why Devin Booker, who scored 40 points but only shot nine free throws, spoke with the officials after the game:
"Just trying to keep it consistent on both ends of the floor," Booker told a reporter in the locker room. "One player over there shooting over 20 free throws. It's tough. Not only the free throws that they're getting, but now they get to set their defense. I feel like there are similar calls on the other end to be made."
Booker's complaints were not lodged quite as loudly as Brown's recent concerns about officiating so it will be fun to see if he the Suns' star is rewarded in a similar fashion in an upcoming game. Booker averages 7.7 free throw attempts per game, which is ahead of Brown, but not by much.
Despite Brown's recent complaints and the fact that 20 free throw attempts is so out of the ordinary, he's actually sixth in the league in free throw attempts this season and averaging 7.3 attempts per game. Fortunately, the perceived wrongs in Boston have been righted for now.
They resume their schedule on Wednesday on ESPN against a frustrated and short-handed Warriors team. Hopefully, Brown is again rewarded for playing basketball the right way. If he's not, you'll certainly hear about it.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
- Lakers Expose Rockets’ Biggest Weakness As Kevin Durant Takes Ownership for Late-Game Collapse
- Hawks and Magic Scuffle Over Late Shot Attempt as NBA Struggles With Unwritten Rules
- Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Nikola Jokic, KAT, Heat-Hornets)
- Inside the Numbers of the Hawks’ Incredible Turnaround After Trae Young’s Exit
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jaylen Brown Gets ‘Crazy’ Number of Free Throw Attempts Days After Criticizing Refs.
