Jaylen Brown cut deal with cancer-stricken grandfather: 'You got to play, too'

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown was initially prepared not to join the NBA bubble in Orlando, but his grandfather helped change his mind.

During Tuesday's appearance on "The Ellen Show," Brown explained how he's been taking care of his grandfather, Willie Brown, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

"My grandpa was diagnosed with cancer just right before they were talking about getting ready to go into the bubble. And I'm his sole proprietor, and he's been living with me for the last four, five, or six months. So he needed me around," Brown said. "But when we had the conversation, he didn't necessarily want to start his chemo. He was just gonna come to terms."

Brown said his grandfather has endured a lot in his life - including going to the Vietnam War, getting shot in the head twice, and contracting COVID-19 - and didn't want to fight anymore.

"He said he was done. He said he was tired. And how I convinced him was like, 'I'm going to go down there and play, but you got to play, too.' He liked the sound of that and he signed up," Brown said, adding that Willie is "doing great" now.

Brown was an integral part of the Celtics' bubble run and finished as the team's second-leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 21.8 points per game, behind only Jayson Tatum.