Jaylen Brown Is Standing On Business

This story originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of ESSENCE, on stands now.

Athlete, activist, scholar: Jaylen Brown is what many would consider a “triple threat.” He embodies all three identities, but each in a ­different way: athlete by profession, activist by purpose, scholar by mindset. Brown is okay with those words. But when I ask if he considers himself a sex symbol, he pauses, contemplating the question. “What does that mean?” he wonders. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

It’s exactly the kind of response that makes the Boston Celtics star so captivating—and a perfect choice as one of ESSENCE’s “Sexiest Men of the Moment.” I mean, here’s a beautiful Black man who is smart, who’s creating a legacy both on and off the court, and who gives back to his community—yet he approaches the idea of his own magnetism with curiosity, rather than with ego. 

At 28, Brown is in a new phase of self-­expression. The NBA champion who once kept the world at arm’s length is now consciously opening up, sharing aspects of himself that had remained hidden. “I think in the last year or so, I’m allowing people into my world a little bit more,” he says. “I’ve usually been a very private, stoic person, but I’m just shining my light a bit more, expressing myself creatively in different facets.”

For years, Brown relied on stoicism as a way to navigate what he calls spaces that “don’t really fit my spirit.” But that armor came with a price. “I’d go months without smiling,” he admits. “People probably saw that and thought, This dude is angry all the time. This dude is so tense.” In reality, he’s quite different. “The people who know me know—I don’t take anything serious, man. I laugh and joke, just like everybody, but I rarely show that to the public.” 

His newfound openness extends to how he discusses the deeper aspects of his life, including love. He and his ex-girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick, who became a couple in the summer of 2024, reportedly broke up this past February. Though  he’s hesitant to dive into the personal aspects of his relationship status, I do ask about the state of his heart—and how he feels about love overall. 

He responds with the same intellectual curiosity he brings to our entire conversation. “Love is gratitude,” he reflects. “I’m very grateful to have experienced love in my life. So at times, even when I didn’t understand it, it guided me. It made me a stronger, wiser, more powerful man.”

When I ask about relationships that have shaped how he loves and leads, his answer catches me off guard—in the best way possible. “I would say my relationship with God,” he states. “I would also say my faith, my alignment and my circadian rhythm. Just being in alignment, being in the right place at the right time, being in tune with nature.”

Brown translates this into action through his two foundations: Boston XChange tackles wealth disparity by investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs, while his Bridge Program connects kids from neighborhoods that often get written off with experts at places like MIT, who teach them about artificial intelligence, financial literacy and other subjects the kids will need for the future. “I want them to see themselves as young men and women who can be in those spaces,” Brown explains.

I circle back to the “sexiest man” theme, challenging him to complete the sentence “Jaylen Brown is sexiest when…,” and this time, he answers without a pause. “When I’m standing on business,” he says—and that’s the God’s honest truth.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographed by Christian Soria
Styled by Maurice Diallo
Leon Loctician: Muffen Moses at Muffen International Salons
Leon Barber: GQ
Leon Makeup Artist: Vicky Garcia
Jaylen Groomer: Mirna Jose using Dieux Skin at See Management
Rome Groomer: Colleen Dominique using Caldera + Lab at The Wall Group
Nails: Analysse Hernandez using OPI
Set Design: Michael Wanenmacher at Wanenmacher Studios
Tailor: Shirlee Idzakovich at The Zaks Team
Photography Assistants: Khalilah Pianta & Sandy Rivera
Styling Assistant: Ray Voono
Set Assistant: Katherine Schultz
Production: The Morrison Group
On-site Producer: Maria Fernandez
Production Manager: Cecilia Alvarez Blackwell
Production Assistant: Ernie Torres
Post Production: House Studios
Location: Smashbox Studios