Celtics' Jaylen Brown shares thoughtful messages about police brutality, mental health

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Jaylen Brown continues to use his platform to share inspiring and thoughtful messages about important issues beyond just basketball.

Following the Boston Celtics' win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, Brown took time during his postgame press conference to discuss the ongoing social injustices in the country as well as the issue of mental health.

After mentioning the tragic, senseless deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers, Brown explained his position on the issue.

"I'm aware that some Americans have the birthright and the privilege to see police officers as protectors or maybe even peacekeepers, or even embrace heroism," Brown said. "Unfortunately, I'm not from that side of America. I'm from the other side where people are in fear or in terror of the police where you can be killed in your own backyard by reaching for your wallet. Your parents have to teach you certain behaviors because they're in fear that if you run into the police, you might not come home.

"And I'm aware that without being drafted by the Celtics, without being in the place I am now, that I would still be on that other side of America. So I want to take a look at the term 'police brutality' and maybe offer another term as 'domestic terrorism.' Because that's what it was in the eyes of George Floyd, and that's what it was in the eyes of Trayvon Martin, and that's what it is in the eyes of a lot of people in color in minority communities. I'll be posting an article on my social for guys to learn and tune in more, but thank you guys for listening."

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Grizzlies, which begins Tuesday at 4 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live followed by tip-off at 5 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

Brown then shifted to a discussion about mental health, which was equally inspiring and even had some comic relief as he took a jab at Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell in the process.

"I also want to bring attention to mental health, and awareness. Being here in this bubble, I guess people might not speak on it but it is a challenge to a lot of guys," Brown said. "It's like you're at work all the time. Like, a lot of time a lot of guys when they get done playing basketball, they want to be able to leave and forget about basketball for a little bit. It's impossible here in the bubble. You go out and chill, you might see Donovan Mitchell sitting there and you're like, 'Man I don't want to see him right now.' But it kind of is what it is.

"I definitely want to bring awareness to mental health, anxiety, and forms of depression in times like this and places like this in the bubble. Our athletes probably struggle with that and don't feel confident enough to speak openly about it. So being able to talk to somebody, being able to find ways to replace those tires is conversations that need to be had ... It's tough being away from our family and being isolated from the rest of society.

Former Celtic Kendrick Perkins came away impressed with what he heard from Brown, and it isn't difficult to see why.

You can hear the entirety of Brown's important message in the video above.

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