“There’s a group within the Celtic nation that is extremely toxic” – Jaylen Brown opens up on racial hatred tossed at him by Boston fans
Jaylen Brown is one of the NBA's most vocal players on social justice issues. Even so, he still receives hate from some fans of the very team that he plays for, and he opened up about it recently.
In an interview with the New York Times, Brown shared the difficulties of dealing with a group of people hating on him for being African American.
"There’s multiple experiences: as an athlete, as a basketball player, as a regular civilian, as somebody who’s trying to start a business, as someone who’s trying to do things in the community. ... There’s not a lot of room for people of color, Black entrepreneurs, to come in and start a business," Brown said when asked about his experience being a Black athlete in Boston.
"It’s not the whole Celtic fan base, but it is a part of the fan base that exists within the Celtic nation that is problematic. If you have a bad game, they tie it to your personal character.
"I definitely think there’s a group or an amount within the Celtic nation that is extremely toxic and does not want to see athletes use their platform, or they just want you to play basketball and entertain and go home. And that’s a problem to me."
Jaylen Brown on certain Celtics fans treating him harshly because he’s African American:
“It’s not the whole Celtic fan base, but it is a part of the fan base that exists within the Celtic nation that is problematic. If you have a bad game, they tie it to your personal… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/jNAdfejEiB
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown peacefully joined the protest to fight for civil rights after the murder of George Floyd. The Celtics star drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta to fight for civil rights with other NBA players.
Boston to Atlanta.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown drove that distance to attend a protest against injustice Saturday in honor of George Floyd.
"He’s been about this." | @thompsonscribe ⤵️
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Looking at Jaylen Brown's stats after the All-Star break
Jaylen Brown has been one of the best players this season. He made his second All-Star appearance and has solidified the Celtics as one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference. With him on the floor, Boston is a difficult team to handle on both ends.
Brown is having one of his best seasons so far. He's suited up for 58 games and is averaging 26.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 49.0%, including 33.8% of his 3-pointers.
While that's impressive, let's take a look at how he's played since the All-Star break.
Since the All-Star break, he's played 10 more games and has averaged more points than his overall numbers. Brown is averaging 28.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 3.7 apg while shooting 50.2%, including 38.3% from 3-point range.
With those numbers, it looks like Brown is ready for the postseason and hungry to go after the championship.
Also read: Fans share hilarious reactions to Jaylen Brown craving a pair of Kyrie's from 2023 NBA All-Star Game: “all star break got you bored n on twitter”