As 2024 comes to a close, SI is recognizing the top performer in each sport—athletes who have excelled on the field through record-breaking or championship performances, or those who have distinguished themselves through significant off-field achievements as well.

Last June, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced him as Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown’s emotions briefly overwhelmed him. Teammates, many of whom have seen Brown survive years of trade rumors, enveloped him. The Boston crowd, the same bunch that, in 2016, booed his selection on draft night, cheered him. A season that began with Brown shrugging off anxieties and doubts ended with him holding the league’s most coveted prize. 

Years earlier, such a scene seemed improbable. There were no shortage of skeptics of Boston’s decision to draft Brown, an athletic wingman out of UC Berkeley who broke into the NBA with a flat-top and no jumper. Locally, fans hoped the Celtics would trade the pick—at the time Jimmy Butler was the target—or even take a flyer on Kris Dunn, a gritty point guard from nearby Rhode Island. And even as Brown developed—from a starter to an All-Star to All-NBA—his value often wasn’t discussed in terms of how he could help the team, but rather what he could bring back in trade. Anytime a star player hit the market, from Kawhi Leonard to Anthony Davis to Kevin Durant, Brown and draft picks were linked to them. 

Brown persevered, stacking successful seasons, earning his first All-NBA nod in 2023, after which the Celtics rewarded with a then-record five-year, $285 million contract. He played well in the immediate aftermath, earning his third All-Star spot last season. But it was his willingness to sacrifice, to allow a beefed up roster that added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to grow that was critical to Boston’s 64-win season. It all culminated with a 16–3 march through the playoffs—and Brown’s first NBA championship. 

Brown is chasing another All-Star berth this season—23.8 points, a career-high 4.6 assists per game as of this writing on a Celtics team off to another blistering start—but it’s his accomplishments off the court that burnish his credentials as SI’s NBA Player of the Year. Legacy is important to Brown. He lists Bill Russell and Muhammad Ali among role models and follows a path that they forged. He’s spoken at Harvard about education and race, was named to the Director’s Fellows program at MIT, founded the 7uice Foundation with a mission to increase educational opportunities in underserved communities. His Bridge Program endeavors pop ups in various cities, offering educational and leadership seminars for Black and Brown kids.

Last summer, flush with success, Brown shared it. In 2023, shortly after signing his record-breaking contract, Brown declared war on the wealth disparity in Boston, launching plans to create a “Black Wall Street” in the city. In August, those plans were actualized in the form of the Boston Xchange, an initiative to create $5 billion in generational wealth in communities of color. “I believe that when you invest in the creator and the culture,” Brown told The Boston Globe, “it strengthens entire cities.”

That wasn’t all. After publicly feuding with Nike, the shoe and apparel company Brown not so subtly suggested was behind his exclusion from the U.S. Olympic basketball team, the 28-year old Brown decided to take them on. He founded 741 Performance, rejecting $50 million offers from name brands to go out on his own. The meaning behind the numbers: 7 symbolizes spiritual awakening, the 4 is about hard work, and the 1 represents new beginnings. His first signature shoe, the Rover, was released this fall. “The understanding of ownership and value is what’s important for the next generation of athletes,” said Brown. “It’s time to think different and be different.”

Brown isn’t done, either. As vice president of the NBA’s Players Union, Brown is among the rank-and-file’s most influential members, putting him in a position to shape the direction of the league for years to come. Like his heroes before him, Brown is creating a lasting legacy, both on the court and off it.