Celtics' Jaylen Brown Tests Positive for COVID-19

Former Cal star is asymptomatic, but his availability for Oct. 20 opener is in question

Former Cal standout and current Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has tested positive for COVID-19, the Celtics announced Friday.

Brown is asymptomatic and quarantining after receiving the positive test, the team said, but it puts his availability for the Celtics’ Oct. 20 regular-season opener against the Knicks in question.

This is a tough blow for Brown, who was named to the All-Star team for the first time this past season but missed the last few games of the regular season and the entire postseason because of a wrist injury that required surgery.

The 24-year-old Brown averaged a career-best 24.7 points per game last season and hit 39.7 percent of his three-point attempts, also a career high. He made 48.4 percent of his field-goal attempts overall and also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

He has been aggressive during the preseason and seems fully recovered from the injury.

Late last month, Brown was asked about the conversation among the players and the players association about getting vaccinated, and Brown provided an ambiguous answer about whether he has been vaccinated.

“The WNBA is 99% vaccinated and I think the NBA is over 90%,” Brown said about midway through the video below. “I think the NBA and the [players] union have done a great job. In certain states and certain entities, they’re not at that percentage level.”

But here is the ambiguous part.

“Everybody has their own thoughts about it,” Brown said about getting the vaccine. “Personally, I have.”

Does “Personally, I have” mean he has been vaccinated or that he has his own thoughts about vaccination.

He added, “My closest family members are vaccinated. I have family members who are vaccinated that are concerned about getting a booster shot or multiple booster shots. And I have some people in my family who aren’t vaccinated at all.”

The Celtics will play preseason games against the Magic (Oct. 13) and the Heat (Oct. 15) before starting the regular season against the Knicks on Oct. 20.

If Brown does miss regular-season games, offseason acquisitions Dennis Schroder and Josh Richardson are likely to get more playing time.

The Celtics' new coach, Ime Udoka had a breakthrough case of COVID-19 last month, ust before the preseason began.

Jaylen Brown came to a Cal basketball game this past season and wore his Cal jacket. Photo by Darren Yamashita