BOSTON — The City of Boston has officially proclaimed October 24th as “Jaylen Brown Day” in honor of the Celtics star’s achievements both on and off the court.
This past weekend, Brown was presented with the official proclamations delineating the recognition by Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Worrell and Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Segun Idowu.
The recognition comes in part as the result of Brown’s on-court success; the 2024 Finals MVP has earned four All-Star appearances in 9 seasons as a Celtic, and has been the Celtics’ second-leading scorer in each of the past four seasons.
At the same time, Brown has routinely stressed the importance of his off-court work.
“Yeah, I play for the Celtics,” Brown told CelticsBlog in July. “Yeah, I started businesses here. But I’ve also been in the community. I’ve been in the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’ve connected with people. I spend time. People know me by name because I spend time in the community.”
“Sports are very powerful. But there are other things that are more important.”
A quick glance at Jaylen Brown’s off-court work
Brown launched the 7uice foundation in 2019 with the aim of bridging the opportunity gap for youth in underserved communities. In 2021, he started the Bridge program, a week-long annual educational camp for kids from across the Greater Boston Area.
This past summer, the Bridge program featured visits to the Google Offices and the Museum of Science, as well as special guests like Mayor Michele Wu, rapper Killer Mike, and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, among others.
Bridge is one of Brown’s prized accomplishments because it works to instill a love for learning in all attendees.
“I do get that from my grandmother,” Brown said. “The quote that I would say that encapsulates that is: There are a bunch of people who complain about society, but do little to contribute to it. And my grandma was like, ‘You’re not gonna be one of those people.’ You can’t live in a community for 10 years plus, and have contributed nothing outside of whatever business you’re doing.”
Last year, as part of his ongoing broader efforts to build a “Black Wall Street” in Boston, Brown kick-started Boston XChange, an incubator and training program for creators and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. In partnership with then-Celtics teammate Jrue Holiday, he invested $100,000 in ten wide-ranging businesses, from a local chess academy to a nutritious cafe.
Lawyer Times, the founder of the Future Masters Chess Academy, gushed to CelticsBlog about the impact of the program.
“The funding has just been phenomenal – one hundred thousand dollars,” Times said, seemingly still in disbelief. “And the mentorship, I believe, is even more valuable because we’re getting mentorship from Harvard, MIT, Suffolk. And they stay with us. They really are promoting us.”
As a result of these efforts, and Brown’s basketball accomplishments, the City of Boston opted to proclaim October 24th — Brown’s birthday — as “Jaylen Brown Day.”
Family, close friends, and teammates gathered at HUE Boston this past weekend in honor of the celebration. Among others, Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Josh Minott, and Luka Garza were in attendance, as well as head coach Joe Mazzulla. The evening served as both a birthday celebration for Brown, who turns 29 on Friday, and an acknowledgment of his impact on Boston.
On Instagram, Brown urged his followers to give back on Jaylen Brown Day: “10/24 make sure you look a kid in the eye tell them you believe in them 🛸 Plenty of more work to do, let’s all contribute more of our time to our community and to society.”
