Celtics' Brown jokes hair incidents left 'residue of a champion' on players

Jaylen Brown is no longer bothered by his hair mishaps.

The Boston Celtics star went viral in October when a product in his hair appeared to rub off on jerseys of multiple players, with the first such incident involving New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby.

Brown, 29, admitted that he was initially embarrassed as clips of the stains quickly garnered more and more views, including a marquee appearance on "Shaqtin' a Fool." However, the former Finals MVP says now that he's not as bothered by it as he once was.

"After a while, it was like, 'Those dudes should be grateful,'" Brown told People's Jackie Fields. "They're lucky that I left my mark on them. I should get a thank-you card. You have the residue of a champion on you. You're welcome."

The four-time All-Star said the hair product that marked opponents' jerseys is a normal "enhancement" that barbers can apply "to make (your hairline) look even or (cover) spots where you're thinning."

During a livestream in late October soon after the viral incidents, Brown joked that playing in Boston, including "10 years of stress, the media, (and) the championship," was the reason for his hair thinning. A month later, cameras captured Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert telling Brown to go bald, which Gobert later described as pushing him "to join the fraternity."

Brown, who recently partnered with Nutrafol, a hair growth supplement company, said he used humor to deal with the situation but wants to bring awareness to its impact on mental health.

"In reality, things could be a lot worse," Brown told Fields. "And I like to laugh, I like to joke, so I get it. And I think the world needs more humor to some degree.

"But you still bring humor, but I'm doing this to also (address) the mental health components of hair loss, just to show the balance. Both things can be true."