In his first media session since his season-ending injury, Jaylen Brown offered an important reminder about one of the most pressing issues in the country.
Brown delivered a thoughtful opening statement prior to Game 3 of the first-round NBA playoffs series between the Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. The All-Star guard touched on the recent comments made by Kyrie Irving, who on Tuesday vocalized his hope to not encounter any “subtle racism” in his return to Boston.
“…I do think it’s a good conversation,” Brown told reporters over Zoom, per a clip shared by NBC Sports Boston. “I think that racism should be addressed and/or systemic racism should be addressed in the city of Boston and also should be addressed in the United States. However, I do not like the manner it was brought up in terms of centering it around a playoff game. It bothers me if the construct of racism is used as a crutch or an opportunity to execute a personal gain. I’m not saying that’s the case, but I do think racism right now is bigger than basketball. I do think racism is bigger than Game 3 of the playoffs.
“So, I want to urge the media to paint that narrative as well. ‘Cause when it’s painted in that manner, it’s insensitive to the people who are actually dealing with racism on a daily basis. The constructs and the constraints of systemic racism in our school systems, equality in education, lack of opportunity, lack of resources, affordable housing, adequate health care, tokenism and the list goes on. So, I recognize my privilege as an athlete. But once you get to a certain point, nothing that you experience overtakes the experiences people deal with on a daily basis.”
Brown is blossoming into one of the league’s better two-way players, but the 24-year-old continues to impress even more so off the court.
