Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown played through a partially torn meniscus in his right knee during the 2025 NBA playoffs and is still weighing his options for addressing the injury.
During an interview with Celtics Blog on Sunday, Brown revealed that surgery is still a possibility.
“I got a lot of doctors I gotta get evaluated with – see the potential for surgery versus no surgery, wait to speak to the [Celtics] organization,” Brown stated. “For now, it’s just rest and recovery. I’m taking a step back from a long season. Mentally, it was a lot of stuff going on.”
While the Celtics have not confirmed any decisions regarding Brown’s knee, there is some optimism about his condition, largely influenced by comments from president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
“He saw obviously our team docs and a couple of other people, and as he even said a couple of weeks ago, the knee is in a good place structurally,” said Stevens during his end-of-season press conference on May 19. “And so I think he felt comfortable getting out there and going after it. And hopefully he’ll feel better after being off it for a couple weeks here.”
Brown began experiencing discomfort in his knee around March, initially diagnosed with a bone bruise and posterior impingement. However, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that he had actually been playing through a partially torn meniscus.
The Celtics faced elimination from the playoffs in the second round against the New York Knicks, with injuries significantly affecting the team’s performance. In addition to Brown’s meniscus issue, Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in Game 4, Kristaps Porzingis was struggling with post-viral syndrome, Jrue Holiday battled a hamstring strain, and Sam Hauser had a sprained ankle.
Tatum’s injury has particularly complicated the Celtics’ plans moving forward, with Brown expected to lead the team next season if he can recover from his own injury.