The upcoming NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics will mark the first time that on-court rivals, Luka Doncic and Jaylen Brown, will clash at this ultimate stage. Apart from being members of different franchises, the duo share quite a few similarities. Both have served in the NBA as shooting guards, have led the scoring effort for their teams on numerous occasions, and have often been reportedly classified as introverts. Another common interest that the duo share is their love of chess.

Very few fans knew about the Slovenian player’s love of the mind game. It was only back in 2022 when answering a question about Twitter during a post-game presser, when the truth was revealed. Jaylen Brown fans, on the other hand, knew about the player’s interest beforehand since he served as the captain of his middle-school chess team. In 2016, he made headlines after facing off against 9-year-old national champion Nico Chasin, just two days before the NBA Draft. The duo have made use of several opportunities to show off their chess skills. However, things become interesting once someone sits down to determine who is the better player of the two.

Luka Doncic vs Jaylen Brown: A Comparison of Chess Rankings

For the past couple of years, Chess.Com has allowed several players to try their luck and skills out by competing against several other individuals from around the globe. By analyzing just how the Slovenian player performs in front of a chessboard, the site announced the launch of the Luk.AI Bot last year. Making Doncic the first NBA player to receive this honor, the bot is described as being “super-competitive”, just like the player himself. While newbies can start off facing the AI entity with a strength ranking of 400, the playing style becomes better and stronger once players face off against it multiple times.

By February 2024, Luka’s chess bot had a rating of 2500. Going 2500 or above gives a player the ‘Grandmaster’ title, the highest rank that anyone can achieve. As word started to spread about just how good Luka’s AI Bot is, former Mavericks player Grant Williams seemed to be skeptical. During an interview with GQ, he stated “If Luka is a 2000 in chess, I would love to see it”.

Barely a few months after the introduction of Luk.AI Bot, the chess world was introduced to a similar entity bearing Jaylen Brown’s name. The Celtics star’s bot was introduced as part of a collaboration with him and his 7uice Foundation, which provided over 100 high school students with a series of educational events over four days back in 2023.

Jaylen Brown’s chess currently has a rating of 1275. Out of the 7 sports athletes whose AI personas are present on Chess.com, the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP ranks 2 last. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic occupies the top position. According to various discussion threads on Reddit and Chess.com, several players have reportedly felt that Brown’s rating is not accurate and that it should go up to at least 1700.

Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov react after Luka Doncic’s “I just play chess on my phone remark”

Back in 2022, one of the most trending topics of discussion was Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now X. Along with several other NBA players, Luka Doncic himself was an avid part of the community. This may be the reason why the Mavs’ star was asked about his reaction to Elon Musk getting involved with social media during a post-game press conference. He didn’t have much to say except that his phone usage went less towards social media and more towards chess.

“I just play chess on my phone,” said Doncic. “I play online. But I win, mostly.”

It didn’t take long for Doncic’s comment to go viral on; you guessed it, Twitter. Soon, the remark reached the ears of Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. He praised the NBA player by commenting “My Guy”. It’s not always that one gets the chance to receive praise from the person who has held on to the No. 1 rank in the FIDE world chess rankings since 2011.

Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion Garry Kasparov also made his voice heard. He took to Twitter and just used a ‘side eye emoji’ as a comment. While it might indicate his approval, the comment can be open to interpretation.

Luka Doncic may hold a better chess ranking than Jaylen Brown. However, once the NBA Finals begin, fans will wait to see who ultimately reigns supreme on the basketball court.

If you wish to know more about the latest happenings in the world of the NBA, be sure to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius.