Jaylen Brown

When Jaylen Brown addressed the media for a postgame presser, pledging to do “whatever it took” to win during Round One, his title-winning track record verified him as a player who meant it. Of all the examples one could use for confirmation, though, few stuck out quite like his selfless display in Game Five of 2025’s East Semifinals. Glue-like in his attachment to Jalen Brunson, Brown muscles his way through the New York Knicks’ flare screen, eventually jabbing the basketball free with the closely-nearby out-of-bounds line threatening to ruin his highlight. Already donning an invisible superhero cape of sorts, the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player leaps from the “top rope,” sacrificing his body through a headfirst dive for a steal that keeps possession in play. Commanding a well-deserved standing ovation thereafter, Brown followed by drawing a pair of free throws, breathing additional life into the Boston Celtics’ season-saving win on May 14, 2025. Brown — battling through a CVS receipt-like list of injuries throughout — collected additional unforgettable sequences through 26 points (on 9-of-17 shooting), alongside an eight-rebound, 12-assist, one-steal, three-triple complement.