After signing a supermax contract extension, Celtics star guard Al Horford wants to do more for the Boston community.
After signing the largest contract in NBA history, Boston Celtics standout Jaylen Brown wants to win more than just championships.
On Wednesday, minutes after signing the contract that would put him in a Celtics uniform for the next five years and pay him a record $304 million, he made it clear that the next chapter of his basketball career is about more than money.
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“I appreciate the investment and the commitment from the Celtics,” Brown told reporters. “That commitment will be felt from me here in Boston on and off the floor.”
Though Brown has been eligible for the supermax extension since July 1, he said he felt the contract negotiations were straight forward throughout the process.
“From my standpoint, they understood where I came from, they understood where we came from and it was all about meeting in a place where it made sense for everybody,” Brown said.
When asked what he expects to do with the generational wealth that comes with his new arrangement, Brown said he wants to begin a project to bring “Black Wall Street” to Boston and contribute to closing the racial wealth inequality in the city where he’s lived for the past seven years.
Black Wall Street was the moniker given to a district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was one of the most economically prosperous places for Black Americans in the early 1900s before being destroyed in the 1921 race riot.
“There’s analytics that support that stimulating the wealth gap is something that could be a betterment for the entire economy,” Brown said. “With the biggest financial deal in NBA history, it makes sense to talk about one, your investment in community. But two, also the wealth disparity here that nobody wants to talk about. … It’s something we can all improve on.”
Brown expects that by launching new initiatives in Boston, he will be able to contribute to the creation of new jobs, resources, and enterprises to stimulate the economy and fill gaps identified while working with his 7uice Foundation.
That’s why he hosted his news conference on Wednesday at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the home of 7uice’s Bridge Program, which promotes science and technology education in secondary schools among underrepresented minority groups.
Wyc Grousbeck, co-owner of the Celtics, stated that Brown’s intentions are precisely why the organization felt comfortable making the long-term investment it made.
“It’s not just about a contract or money or playing basketball. It’s about making a difference in life,” Grousbeck said. “That’s what Jaylen embodies to me and to my partner Steve (Pagliuca) and others and to all of us here at the Celtics. He’s a true Celtic. He’s a Celtic for years to come.”
Grousbeck said Brown’s philanthropic goals go hand in hand with the team’s hopes that Brown will one of the catalysts in its quest to win an 18th NBA championship.
“This is the next step to that,” Grousbeck said.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Brown’s inclusion of students working with his foundation reflects the type of person he met when Boston chose him third overall in 2016.
“From the moment Jaylen’s gotten here it’s been about growing. It’s been about getting better. It’s about tackling every challenge,” Stevens said. “I think that is a great separator when you’re talking about a player, when you’re talking about a teammate, when you’re talking about a person want to be associated with and have a long-term relationship with.”
Brown said he’s ready for the expectations that will come on the court with his new deal.
“I look at life as stages and degrees,” Brown said. “Everything that I went through throughout my career has prepared me for each stage. … I don’t shy away from pressure. I know what the demand is. I know what the expectation level is. And I know the work that is required. Everything about me is about work. So I look at it as just another challenge.”