After Boxing Debut, Jaylen Brown Tries Another Sport in Europe

Jaylen Brown admitted getting embarrassed on a golf course by his new 76ers teammates. He stated that it ate at him so much that he considered secretly hiring an instructor just to save face. That same restless energy has now sent him halfway across the world and into two completely different arenas. 

Fresh off an amateur boxing debut in Nigeria, Brown has traded the golf course for a fencing piste in Italy. It added yet another item to what's become one of the strangest offseason tours in the NBA. Video shared by Sleeper 76ers on social media showed Brown training in full fencing gear at a facility near Milan, sparring with a young Canadian foil fencer named DeGroot.

Dressed in the mask, jacket and glove, Brown worked through the sport's footwork and timing on the piste. It drew applause from those watching at the facility.

The fencing session came roughly two weeks after Brown made headlines for a very different reason. He took part in an amateur boxing bout in Lagos, Nigeria, put on by his own nonprofit, The 7uice Foundation. Brown fought heavyweight Solomon Imoleayo in an exhibition bout, following in the footsteps of his father, former WBU champion Quenton Brown, and his boxing grandfather, Willie Brown. 

Brown admitted he barely trained beforehand. He joked in the comments that he had "0 prep for this."

Brown already hinted this months earlier. Speaking to reporters back in February, he admitted he'd already been exploring combat sports as a post-retirement pursuit. "Maybe post part of my career, I'd love to partake in something like UFC or even boxing. I've talked to Dana White about some stuff, but we'll see as things go on," Brown said at the time. 

Traded from Boston on July 1 in a deal that sent Paul George and multiple picks back to the Celtics.

"When I first got traded, I just threw my phone across the room," he told reporters at his introductory press conference. It wasn't long, though, before Maxey reached out personally. "I think Maxey reached out to me first," Brown said. "He reached out and was like, 'I know it's a lot of stuff going on right now, but we're excited to have you.'"

The trade ended a nine-season run in Boston for Brown. A stretch that included two NBA Finals and the 2024 championship before he was dealt to Philadelphia for George and four future draft picks.