Smith responded, which led to continued dialogue between the two (along with a “credit your source” shirt that Brown wore at the victory parade in Boston after the Celtics’ NBA Finals win).

Fittingly, Brown wore the same shirt during his recent interview with Smith.

“I wore this shirt because I wanted to start the conversation here,” Brown told Smith, adding that he believes the problem is “bigger than you and me.”

“Just based on your credentials, I know that you will never reveal your source because you adhere to something called journalistic integrity,” Brown admitted.

And while Smith initially said the interview would take some time to get into the topic, Brown decided to jump right into it.

“A few months ago you quoted an unnamed source that I felt attacked my character,” Brown said. “And first of all, I didn’t really have the chance to defend myself. And secondly, the damage has already been done, and I think that journalistic integrity goes two ways.

“I think a lot of people were as upset as I was,” he said, noting that he understands Smith’s journalistic duty to protect his sources.

In response, Smith shared his perspective.

“Let me use the example you’re talking about,” he told Brown. “What I said was texted to me through you, and by the way, others had said it too. I haven’t talked about how I feel, we’ve both been cool for years. You’ve always been good to me. What I wanted to say was: This brother is great. He’s great on the basketball court. He’s great off the basketball court. He is a person of very high integrity, highly educated, and most people you meet think of you as nothing short of brilliant, and yet the opportunities that you clearly deserved and should have been afforded to you were not there.

“And when I brought that up, I literally got a text in the middle of the show, and right after the show I got three separate calls and they said, ‘Yo, this guy isn’t liked by some.’ “Powerful forces, because he’s smart, because he’s open, because he’s principled, and he’s defiant, and he’s not easily manipulated, those are things that cost him,” Smith continued. “I didn’t see it as something that denigrates your character. “The way I saw it was that individuals were making a point of not being liked on principle, and I completely understand why people in positions of power and decision-making would dislike someone because they normally don’t like people like that on principle.”

Brown considered his answer before addressing the unnamed source directly.

“To be honest, I’ll be honest. Because I wanted to have this conversation, but honestly I couldn’t wait to reach out to this unnamed source,” he said. “I know they’ll probably watch it because people like that are always watching, and I wanted to let them know I had a great summer. It’s that simple. I’ve traveled around the world. I went for Umrah. I won two MVPs. I created Black Wall Street in Oakland and made a music video. I had a lot of fun.

“Basically I wanted to tell them that I think this is cowardice,” Brown added of the unnamed source’s comments.

“I think in the past unnamed sources have attacked some of our greats. I am/we are not responsible for their lack of design. Honestly, they can call all their buddies, mates and friends from all over the world, all unnamed sources and they can shove it wherever they got it from. Whether they think I’m marketable or not, I walk with God. I will be myself and stand alongside my community, in this life and the next. And that is my journalistic integrity.”

Smith asked Brown why he believes an unnamed source stating how they feel a person is perceived would be viewed as bad.

Brown noted that he could accept a verdict up to a point, but that Smith’s reported comments went a step too far.

“Not only did they say I wasn’t liked, they said I was unmarketable, they said I was arrogant, I exhibited a certain behavior, and the line between criticizing a person’s performance and that Not loving them is crossing over for some reason and then attacking someone’s character,” he argued. “I think journalistic integrity goes both ways. I never had a chance to respond or defend myself.”

For Brown, the issue of unnamed sources has a negative connotation.

He cited the pre-draft comments of an anonymous NBA general manager before being selected third overall by the Celtics in 2016. The GM claimed Brown was “too smart for the league.”

“When I got drafted, they said I was too smart – one source, an unnamed source – said I was too smart to be a basketball player or something like that,” he told Smith. “And that would be detrimental to my existing draft because it represented a form of questioning of authority. This unnamed source said back in 2016 that the topic was a very popular topic at the time – and this source kind of reminds me of that too. I actually found out who that source was. But I know that because of your credentials, your background and your journalistic integrity, we will never find out who that is.”

Brown and Smith continued in the interview, covering a number of topics leading up to the new NBA season.

Inevitably, the two touched on the other controversial aspect of Brown’s offseason: his occasional exchanges with USA Basketball and Nike. Brown, who has repeatedly claimed that his exit from Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics was due in part to his past criticism of Nike, was asked about his thoughts on the future in which he may play for the national team.

“That’s what I say,” Brown said. “If I have to sign with Nike in 2028 to increase my chance of playing (with) USA Basketball, I will pass.”

Hayden Bird can be reached at [email protected].