Why Jaylen Brown Identified Himself As Activist, Not Athlete, At State House

Jaylen Brown isn’t just an athlete, he’s an activist, too.

And he hopes you won’t forget that.

The 23-year-old was honored at a ceremony held at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday for his philanthropic work with children in the Boston area. But instead of introducing himself as an athlete, Brown identified as an activist.

Because in the end, he doesn’t want to be remembered solely for his athletic ability.

“I think everybody, when they see my name, they’re going to automatically assume — NBA player. So maybe just trying to break down some of those barriers that people establish in their mind about athletes,” Brown said Friday afternoon, via NBC Sports Boston. “I identify as an activist just as much as I identify as an NBA player, but I put that for people who are going to read (about) it.

“… They might look at me and think of me in a different manner because everybody’s going to see me and think Boston Celtics, NBA player. So I’m trying to break some of those barriers that, maybe people shouldn’t just shut up and dribble, kind of those stereotypes that have been here for the last 20 years. I think it’s ultimately changing now, but part of me signing that is to try and help push that notion, that movement at least.”

Well said.