Ooni hosts NBA star Jaylen Brown and gives him the name ‘Babatunde’

Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics star, received a traditional Yoruba name during a visit to the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Ogunwusi named him “Babatunde,” a name his Senior Media Officer, Sodiq Lawal, said means “the father has returned” or “ancestor has returned.” The Ooni described it as Brown’s ancestral identity and formally linked the basketball player to his Yoruba heritage and ancestral roots.

“This is to certify that you have been officially issued Babatunde as your traditional and ancestral name,” Ogunwusi told Brown. “Henceforth, you shall be known as Babatunde Jaylen Brown.”

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This is to certify that you have been officially issued Babatunde as your traditional and ancestral name.

The Ooni said he believed the name would bring Brown good fortune and strengthen his connection to Yoruba heritage. He also presented Ile-Ife as a centre of Yoruba civilisation and ancestral history, saying slavery and forced migration had separated families and communities with shared origins across Africa and the diaspora.

Ogunwusi encouraged people of African descent, especially those living in the diaspora, to visit Ile-Ife and other places connected to their ancestry. Brown thanked the Ooni for the welcome and said the visit helped him learn more about his heritage while encouraging others to explore their ancestral roots.

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Henceforth, you shall be known as Babatunde Jaylen Brown.