Jaylen Brown, the former one-and-done Cal prodigy, will receive his NBA championship ring on Tuesday night when the Boston Celtics open their season against the New York Knicks.
For Brown, who was MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals, this is the latest in a series of big events in his basketball life.
But as great as he is on the hardwood, three-time All-Star has never been about only basketball. We saw that even at Cal, when as a freshman he successfully petitioned to gain access to a graduate-level course that had his interest.
Brown, who will turn 28 years old on Thursday, signed a $304 million contract a year ago, at which point he indicated his determination to assist in helping others. Specifically, he wants to shrink the racial wealth gap in America, no small goal.
Brown, along with teammate Jrue Holiday and his wife Lauren, are taking a huge first step toward that ambition right now. As reported by Jesse Washington of Andscape, Brown has launched Boston Xchange, whose goal is to help generate $5 billion dollars of generational wealth for marginalized communities.
The endeavor’s initial hub was opened in Oakland.
This is a project that has Brown’s attention and his imagination.
“To be honest, this feels better to me,” Brown told Washington, who had asked him to compare helping others with playing ball.“I feel responsible that my platform was given to me to help affect other people. The only time I feel happy is really when I’m trying to help other people.
“Hooping is like drinking water. It’s like breathing at this point. You don’t really feel anything anymore, unless it’s like those big games or those high-profile moments. But for the most part, I think my platform was given just so I could help as many people as possible.”
Basketball remains the means by which Brown can facilitate his dreams. On Monday, he paid tribute to the Celtics’ greatest player, Bill Russell, as the city renamed the North Washington Street Bridge in his honor.
Brown was among the guest speakers at the ceremony, and his bond to Russell, the late superstar and activist who grew up in Oakland, is clear.
“We’re here to talk about the legacy of the great Bill Russell,” he said, according to the Boston Herald. “Not only just what he’s done for basketball, how many championships he won, but how many championships he won off the basketball floor, as well. Things he stood for in the community, things with education, things he stood for in a time which was much harder than now to stand for.
“Bill Russell transcends sports,” Brown said. “I can speak on and on about his resume, but his character, his demeanor and how he handled himself through adversity, I think that speaks volumes, especially in a time like today. I think it’s very fitting that the bridge is getting named after him, because what a bridge does is bring people together. And the leadership of sports and the role that sports play in our society is bringing people together.”
Those are very much the things Brown will continue to pursue.
Through his Xchange, Brown has assembled local entrepreneurs – the Boston Creator Incubator + Accelerator Cohort — who will receive financial assistance to help grow their businesses.
Here’s how Washington explained what Brown and Holiday and his wife are doing:
“Brown is focusing on the `creative economy’ – people who make things. The first 10 entrepreneurs range from the Dorchester Art Project to Melanin Haircare to the Future Masters Chess Academy. Each business will receive up to $100,000 over the next three years, plus mentorship, training, and workspaces. Funds are being donated by Brown; the JLH Social Impact Fund, founded by Holiday and his wife, Lauren; and other philanthropic partners.”
Brown envisions “building a family,” providing resources to underserved communities but “building those breadcrumbs to the next generation.”
He knows he cannot do it alone.
“Change doesn’t come from one initiative or one person or one entity. It comes from a group of people who are dedicated to doing these things,” he said. “So we look forward to partnering in the future with more creators, more investors, more initiatives in different cities, different states.
“It’s not about starting something new, it’s about highlighting what people have already been doing and using the power of influence – the power of sports.”
