At 29, NBA champion Jaylen Brown comes home to Africa, visits Ooni of Ife and receives Yoruba ancestral name

• Jaylen Brown, 29, visited the Ooni of Ife during a trip centred on African heritage.

• The NBA champion received the Yoruba name Babatunde at the monarch's palace.

• The Ooni urged Africans in the diaspora to reconnect with their ancestral roots.

For someone who has spent years making history on an NBA court, Jaylen Brown's latest memorable moment had little to do with basketball.

Jaylen Brown has spent much of his life scoring in packed NBA arenas, winning championships and becoming one of basketball's biggest stars, but on Monday evening, September 7, 2026, the 29-year-old American basketball star found himself inside the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, in Ile-Ife, Osun State. 

There, he was welcomed into one of the most important centres of Yoruba history and the Ooni formally bestowed the traditional Yoruba name Babatunde, meaning “the father has returned” or “the ancestor has returned". The monarch declared that the basketball star would henceforth be known as Babatunde Jaylen Brown. 

Brown visited the Ooni's palace during a trip that allowed the American basketball star to learn more about African heritage and ancestral history.

For the Ooni, Brown's visit represented a symbolic reconnection between Africans on the continent and people of African descent in the diaspora. So, he took the occasion to speak about Ile-Ife's place in Yoruba history and its significance as a centre of Yoruba civilisation.

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Ogunwusi spoke about how slavery and forced migration separated families and communities with shared ancestral origins across Africa and the diaspora.

He encouraged people of African descent living outside the continent to visit places connected to their ancestry and learn more about the history and cultures that survived generations of separation.

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The ancient city is regarded as a major historical and spiritual centre of Yoruba civilisation, with the Ooni's palace serving as a custodian of royal traditions, cultural practices and generations of ancestral history. 

Brown, who plays professional basketball in the United States, expressed his appreciation for the reception and said the experience allowed him to learn more about his heritage. He also encouraged others to make the journey to their ancestral roots.

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Away from the royal palace in Ile-Ife, Jaylen Brown is a 29-year-old NBA superstar who has already built a career most basketball players can only dream of.

Born on October 24, 1996, in Georgia, Brown was selected third overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft. He spent his first 10 NBA seasons with the Celtics, growing from a highly rated young player into one of the league’s biggest stars.

His defining moment came in 2024, when Brown helped Boston win the NBA championship and was named NBA Finals MVP after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Dallas Mavericks. 

The title was Boston’s record-extending 18th NBA championship, and Brown also won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award that postseason.

He reached another level in the 2025-26 season, averaging a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

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Then, after a decade in Boston, Brown's NBA journey took another turn. In July 2026, the Celtics traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the star.

In short, Brown is a 29-year-old NBA champion, Finals MVP and one of basketball’s most recognisable stars.