Why Jaylen Brown hosted Bill Nye "The Science Guy" at Celtics media day
Jaylen Brown had a special guest at Celtics media day on Monday, one who tickled the brains of everyone at the Auerbach Center in Brighton. Bill Nye "The Science Guy" was on hand for the festivities, bringing his friendship with the Celtics star to a new level.
Always the thinker, Brown is a big fan of Nye, who captured the hearts and minds of kids with his popular science show that ran from 1993-97. Brown was part of the generation that grew up with Nye pushing their curiosity, and the two have formed a friendship over the last year.
Brown and Nye first met after a Celtics-Wizards game in Washington D.C. in 2024, and their friendship has grown stronger since. Nye has praised Brown for his commitment to promoting education and science, and Brown was in Los Angeles last week when Nye received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"The guy flew out to LA just to say a few words," Nye told reporters in Brighton on Monday. "He's got a life to live. He's very wealthy. He doesn't need to do that. But he was very gracious. Of course, he's charming. Everybody was delighted to see him."
Jaylen Brown and Bill Nye at Celtics media day
Brown didn't bring Nye to Boston just to give him a taste of an NBA media day. The two got away from all the hoopla to conduct a science experiment, which was broadcast on Brown's twitch channel. Celtics guard Derrick White even provided a helping hand for the science fun.
"I feel like it's Celtic history being able to have Bill Nye in the Auerbach Center practice facility, so that's pretty cool," Brown said Monday. "It's an honor and a privilege to be able to be here and talk about things outside of just sports and how it also correlates. You have sports, but how sports correlates to science and education and learning and how if we merge these worlds, you can have a real impact on the next generation."
Nye was in the assembled media for Brown's turn at the podium on Monday, and was given the final question for the Celtics star.
"The WNBA is coming on, fabulous, very entertaining to watch. They play with a synthetic ball. Have you guys thought about changing -- my understanding is you give the new balls to the new guys and make them break it in because the balls are too difficult to get a drip on at first. Have you guys thought about changing to a synthetic ball?" asked Nye.
Brown said he's not only considered it, but submitted a proposal to the NBA.
"I think to this day we still use a pig skin as a basketball. I actually pushed a few years back to make the ball more sustainable," answered Brown. "I proposed a basketball made of recycled materials of trash in Boston. So it's like you could have a ball that's made from the essence of your environment, but it's all sustainable.
"I think it got turned down," added Brown.
Perhaps Brown and Nye can join forces to really push the NBA toward a new, more sustainable basketball.