Amid Negotiations with Celtics, Jaylen Brown Continues Giving Back to Community He Stars In: 'Nothing Fills My Heart More'

Jaylen Brown's made a significant impact on the Celtics and Boston, with his off-court initiatives earning him a spot on the list of the city's most influential individuals multiple times.

While Damian Lillard's request for the Portland Trail Blazers to trade him to a championship contender is yet to get resolved, and Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics are still negotiating the finer points of his veteran supermax extension, the expectation is a deal will get done, keeping the All-NBA wing with the franchise that drafted him for at least one more season.

But that hasn't stopped the two-time All-Star, who's also one of the vice presidents of the National Basketball Players Association, and recently returned from an NBPA event in Spain, from making a positive impact in the community he stars in.

Friday, at a basketball court redesign at the Fenelon Street playground in Dorchester, Brown expressed the following about what giving back to the community means to him.

"Nothing fills my heart more than being able to be a part of my community and (to) be able to do projects like this. I know having different spaces are super important for representation. Me growing up in the inner-city in Atlanta, being able to have a place that somebody put time and effort into that the community put time and effort into, becomes like a safe haven for you to feel like, 'man, I can do exactly what people inspired me to do.'"

The Georgia native's impact off the court has earned him a spot on Boston Magazine's list of the city's most influential individuals on multiple occasions. And his work on civil rights and racial equity made him one of the Boston Globe's Bostonians of the Year in 2020.

His initiatives include the 7uice Foundation, dedicated to fighting systemic racism, which also developed the Bridge Program, which works with the Community Biotechnology Initiative at the MIT Media Lab to provide science and technology opportunities for children in Boston's underserved communities.

Brown also spoke about the 7uice Foundation and his efforts to give back to the community in a recent appearance on ABC News Live.

And as he voiced Friday at the Fenelon Street playground, "It's always about the next generation. I know, as an athlete, sometimes you're removed from these spaces; they put you over in these areas where they forget about the communities that you come from. And since I've been an athlete, since I've been here, I've been refusing to do that. And this is one small example of what's going on here in these spaces in Boston, but as long as I'm here, these things will continue.

"We don't just need a fancy court that looks good for kids to play on. We've got to close the wealth gap here in Boston. We've got to create new jobs, new opportunities, new resources, that all make an impact for people of color, but also can boost the economy."

Further Reading

Celtics Reportedly Showing No Interest In Trading Malcolm Brogdon

Boston Celtics Guard Named to USA Select Team

Intriguing Option for Celtics May Soon Become Available

Joel Embiid Processing Sixers' Future, Could He Join Jayson Tatum on Celtics?

Celtics Reportedly Show Interest in Signing Austin Rivers

Gabe Vincent Says He Sensed Celtics Were 'Not Fully Right Internally' in Eastern Conference Finals

Negotiations Between Celtics, Jaylen Brown Hit a Snag

Here's What the Celtics Received in Finalized Grant Williams Sign-and-Trade

Sam Cassell Discusses What Brought Him Back to Boston and What He'll Bring to the Celtics

Oshae Brissett on Joining Celtics: 'I Just Want to Go Win'

Marcus Smart Reflects on His Time with Celtics: 'I Left Everything I Had'

Evaluating Celtics' Options in Free Agency