Celtics' Jaylen Brown Says He Launched His 741 Brand, Signature Shoe Out of 'Boredom'
September 27, 2024
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown says "boredom" led him to found his sneaker company 741, which announced the launch of his new signature shoe Rover on Wednesday.
"It would be great for it to be successful," Brown said, per The Athletic's Jared Weiss. "But even if it's not, who cares? I'm just kind of tired of seeing the same old things, the deals constructed the same way.
"So hopefully in the next 20 years, even if this isn't like super successful, that it sparks other athletes, other creators to have the courage to start to build stuff on their own."
Brown is at least the ninth NBA player to release a signature sneaker launched by a personal brand, per Aaron Dodson of Andscape. Other examples include Shaquille O'Neal's Dunkman sneakers and Stephon Marbury's Starbury shoes, Dodson noted.
Complex's Ben Felderstein reported earlier this week that Brown turned down endorsement offers of more than $50 million in order to launch his new brand.
The Rover is currently available for pre-order, according to the 741 website. The official release date for the shoe is set for Oct. 22, the day the Celtics open the regular season against the New York Knicks.
Brown was previously signed with Adidas from 2016 to 2021. He has not signed with a major footwear company since.
The Celtics star has worn both Nike and Adidas shoes over the following seasons, at times covering the logo of his Nike shoes while criticizing the company on social media.
Brown named his new brand using numbers the brand's official website claims have "deep personal significance" for the Celtics forward.
The seven is meant to represent "spiritual awakening, wisdom, and understanding," while the four indicates "hard work, stability, and practicality" and the one honors "new beginnings, creativity, and independence," the brand's website reads.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP will be expected to wear the Rover when the 2024-25 season and Celtics' title defense begins against the Knicks this fall.
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