Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Wants to Help Fix Wealth Gap in Boston After $304M Contract

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles the ball during Game 3 of the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles the ball during Game 3 of the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who is now the owner of the richest deal in NBA history at five years and $304 million, spoke with reporters Wednesday about his plans to give back to the community after inking the contract.

Brown issued this response after Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe asked what he planned to do with the generational wealth he earned with the contract.

“I want to launch a project to bring Black Wall Street here to Boston,” Brown said in part.

“I want to attack the wealth disparity here. I think there’s analytics that support that stimulating the wealth gap is something that could be a betterment for the entire economy.

“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 top five in the U.S. It’s something that we can all improve on. It’s unsettling. And I think through my platform, through influential partners, through selected leaders, government officials, a lot who are in this room, that we can come together and create new jobs, new resources, new businesses, new ideas that can highlight minorities but also stimulate the economy and the wealth gap at the same time.

“I think that could be a mix of commercial, MCs (mixed commercial), real estate, residentials as well. Boston could be a fully integrated, self-sufficient hub attacking minorities and stimulating the wealth gap. I think Boston could be a pilot, not just for wealth disparity here in the U.S. but also for around the world. So you asked me what I wanted to do, or what I want to do. One, I want to attack that wealth gap here in Boston, create a project. Also, I want to help stimulate the overall economy, and I want to bring Black Wall Street here to Boston.”

Brown’s mention of Black Wall Street refers to the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the early 20th century.

“At the turn of the 20th century, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was more than 35 city blocks of thriving shops, hotels, theaters and more. And all of them were Black-owned,” Jazmin Goodwin of CNN Business wrote.

“The district was founded by Black men and women—many of whom were descendants of slaves—and it became known as Black Wall Street.”

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Horrifically, white Tulsa residents orchestrated a race massacre in May 1921 that killed hundreds of members of Greenwood’s community and burned the district to the ground. Brown’s goal is to recreate the once-thriving Greenwood District in Boston one century later.

Brown is already doing work with the youth in Boston through the Bridge Program at MIT, where he held his press conference alongside some of the program’s students. Its website describes the program as follows:

“The Bridge Program is a new learning and leadership initiative developed by the 7uice Foundation, founded by the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and his family, and the Community Biotechnology Initiative at the MIT Media Lab.

“The program’s mission is to help cultivate the next generation of leaders in science and technology and is designed for young people from underrepresented minority communities in 8th-12th grade.”

Brown has also done plenty of work in the community through his 7uice Foundation, whose mission is to partner “with institutions, organizations and social change leaders to bridge the opportunity gap for youth in traditionally underserved Black and Brown communities.”

Brown will certainly have more opportunities to create the positive, much-needed and long-lasting social change in his community and beyond with his new deal.

The former Cal star earned the contract after averaging a career-high 26.6 points on 49.1 percent shooting last year. The seven-year NBA veteran is a two-time All-Star who has helped lead Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals five times and the NBA Finals once in 2022.