Jaylen Brown lays out lofty ambitions for utilizing $304 million contract in Boston
BOSTON -- The contract Jaylen Brown officially signed on Wednesday will provide him with life-changing money for generations. But the 26-year-old is intent on changing and improving many more lives than just his own.
Speaking to the media at the MIT Media Lab -- site of the Bridge Program that's part of Brown's 7uice Foundation -- Brown laid out some ambitious plans for what he hopes to do with this NBA record-setting contract, stating he wants to help bridge the wealth gap in Boston and beyond for people of color.
"I want to launch a project to bring Black Wall Street here to Boston. I want to attack the wealth disparity here," Brown said. "I think there's analytics that support that stimulating the wealth gap could actually be something that could be 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 could highlight minorities but also stimulate the economy and the wealth gap at the same time."
Brown envisions a combination of commercial business and residential real estate dedicated to helping make Boston a "fully integrated, self-sufficient hub."
"I think Boston could be a pilot, not just for wealth disparity here in the U.S. but also for around the world," Brown continued. "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 said he was appreciative of the investment and commitment from the Celtics, who now allow him to be "a voice for the voiceless" and give him purpose beyond just basketball.
"When [the contract] first was finalized, the first thing that came to mind was like, 'Dang, look at all you can do with it now.' Like, how much you can invest into your community, what you can build with it, what you can change, how many lives you can touch, and like what you can do in real-time. Those resources that you have, you know, money isn't everything. But the ability to have resources to put stuff together, to build things, to change things, to have influence -- all of that stuff is more inspirational to me than anything. So now the pressure is like, now I gotta build something fitting, something monumental, to reach up to make sense for that astronomical number. But I'm excited to do so."
Given all of those goals, Brown fittingly chose to sign the deal and meet with the media at the site of his Bridge Program, which aims 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 looked out at the children in the crowd while stating his visions for a better future.
"I appreciate the investment and commitment from the Celtics and from the rest of the community. And that investment and commitment will be felt in return from me here in Boston, on and off the floor, but also hopefully soon around the world," Brown said. "You guys being here is special for me today. You guys represent the next generation and you represent the future. And everything I do is trying to make this world a better place. So thank you all for being in attendance. Thank you all for being up here. Thank you all for sharing this moment and we've got a lot of work to do. So let's get started."
