Jaylen Brown was the star for the Boston Celtics both on and off the court in Friday's scrimmage against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 23-year-old got the C's rolling early with a step-back jumper over Chris Paul, and he finished with nine points in 16 first-half minutes.
Overshadowing Brown's performance on the court, however, were his words off of it. After the scrimmage, Brown was asked about the peaceful "Black Lives Matter" protest he organized in Atlanta, following the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer, and whether it gave him a sense of the power his platform has.
"I think it confirmed what I already knew. I didn't know how it was going to turn out. To be honest, I was like, my first time organizing anything. It was a great experience. Unfortunately, some people got arrested. It was a peaceful protest," Brown said.
"As a unit, the relationship between our society, people of color, and our police force and their relationship needs to improve, because it really isn't there. There is no relationship. Like, people where I'm from, I've got family members, brothers, sisters, who have never called the police ever for no type of protection.
"And for us, we need to feel more comfortable that the people that are paid with our tax dollars to protect us that that's what they're going to do, is to protect and serve. Overall, I think those relationships need to improve, because they're not there.
NBC Sports
Watch the full clip below:
We weren't able to bring you @FCHWPO's message on TV tonight discussing his experience organizing a social justice movement, so here is his entire answer following tonight's scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/uKlBNQfHyV
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) July 25, 2020
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Brown also spent time during his press conference last Sunday discussing the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by Louisville police officers who entered her apartment via a no-knock search warrant on March 13. A number of NBA stars followed Brown's example, further emphasizing the C's forward's impressive leadership ability.
As the NBA returns, it'll be refreshing to see Brown and the C's back in action. But even while Boston makes its push for Banner 18, we can count on Brown to keep the conversations about social justice going.
Celtics' Jaylen Brown reflects on organizing social justice movement originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
