Jaylen Brown signs richest contract in NBA history without a left hand

The Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown finally agreed to terms on a supermax contract extension, which is officially the richest contract in NBA history.

The Boston Celtics fell just short of a miraculous comeback in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. From there, it was onto the offseason for Boston, as they tried to build a roster to help get them back into the NBA Finals. But, they had one gigantic transaction looming. Star guard Jaylen Brown was eligible for a supermax contract. With free agency beginning on June 30, both sides did not strike a deal, but the belief that it would eventually get done.

And it has.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Celtics and Browns agreed to a five-year supermax contract, worth $304 million, fully guaranteed. The deal also includes a trade kicker but doesn’t have a player option.

With those numbers official, Brown now has the richest contract in NBA history.

NBA Twitter reacts to Jaylen Brown receiving richest contract in league history

$304 million is an eye-popping financial figure. But when it comes to NBA fans on social media, they use breaking news to crack some jokes. After the deal was announced, some users decided to poke fun at Brown’s supposed inability to score or dribble with his left hand.

Following the Heat’s 112-99 win over the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Caleb Martin revealed on “The Dan LeBatard Show,” that their game plan for Brown was to force him to drive to his left. Specifically, Martin said, “That’s always the game plan.”

Regardless of this feeling from NBA fans, the Celtics have high confidence in Brown’s abilities to help the team win their first NBA Championship since 2008. Let’s not forget that in the 2021-22 season, Brown played a role in the Celtics pulling to within two wins of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. He is a two-time All-Star and made the 2022-23 All-NBA team.

This past season, Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals while posting a field goal percentage of 49.1 and a three-point percentage of 33.5. In the playoffs, Brown averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from behind the arc.

As of now, Jaylen Brown has the richest contract in NBA history. We may not have to wait long for another player to surpass the $304 million mark.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.