Jaylen Brown addresses 'problematic' side of Celtics' fanbase / News - Basketnews.com

Jaylen Brown spoke out against a part of the Boston Celtics' fan culture, which he called 'toxic.'

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Jaylen Brown, one of the Boston Celtics' most consistent players, recently spoke up about his experience as a black athlete on the club.

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Brown addressed the poor treatment of Black players by certain Boston fans in an interview with Sopan Deb of the New York Times.

The Boston Celtics star opened up about his activism and life off the court.

"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," Brown said. "And that's a problem to me."

Brown, who has played his entire seven-year career for the Celtics, said some fans make it tough to be 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," Brown said. "If you have a bad game, they tie it to your personal character."

"There's not a lot of room for people of color, black entrepreneurs, to come in and start a business," the Georgia native related.

"I think that my experience there has been not as fluid as I thought it would be. Even being an athlete, you would think that you've got a certain amount of influence to be able to have experiences, to be able to have some things that doors open a little bit easier.

But even with me being who I am, trying to start a business, trying to buy a house, trying to do certain things, you run into some adversity."

Education and its ability to shape the direction of generations has long been a focal point for Brown's activism to remedy societal ills that Brown separates from overt racism.

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"There (are) other forms of hegemonic racism that are subliminal, such as the inequalities in the education system," said Brown.

"The lack of resources and opportunities through local elections and people voting on how much money or resources should go in this area versus this area. What about those kids who are extremely talented? What about those kids who are gifted and who have contributions to make to society? But they’re stumped because of lack of opportunity," asked Brown rhetorically.

Brown also spoke with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps on systematic racism and his experiences in Boston in May 2021. While acknowledging that not every Celtics fan is racist, he emphasized the need for reform in areas such as the city's financial discrepancy, educational inequality, and tokenism.

But Brown is not the first athlete to speak about the attitude of Celtics' fans.

LeBron James called Boston "racist as f-ck" in a July 2022 episode of 'The Shop.'

"They will say anything. And it’s fine," he said.

"It’s my life, I've been dealing with it my whole life. I don't mind it. I hear it. If I hear somebody close by, I check them real quick, then move on to the game. They’re going to say whatever the f-ck they want to say."

And Hazel Renee, wife of Warriors forward Draymond Green, called out the "very disgusting" behavior of fans at TD Garden during the 2022 NBA Finals.

"Tough loss tonight BUT in NO WAY, shape, or form should fans be allowed to chant obscenities at players!" she wrote. "Are they not human? Is someone standing at your job saying off-the-wall things to you?"

The Celtics have been held to high standards in previous years, and after reaching the NBA Finals last season, the pressure is on. For much of the 2022-23 season, the club led the Eastern Conference, but it is presently two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks (49-22).

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