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Star Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown hasn’t always been able to balance his needs on an off-court advocate with the rigors of the NBA season, but he only has to look to his jersey for inspiration in those moments.

Brown isn’t giving credit to himself, but to the example of the man represented by the No. 6 on his and all Celtics jerseys this season, following the passing of Celtics and civil rights icon Bill Russell last July. The Georgia native explained his connection to Russell’s memory in an exclusive interview with Slam’s Deisha Smith.

“To be able to wear this six (of my) jersey means the world to me,” Brown said.

“Sometimes when I’m really tired, when my spirits are low, or when I’m just down, I just think of myself and one of the prime examples is Bill Russell,” added the Cal-Berkeley graduate. Bays from Russell’s hometown of Auckland.

Brown reflects on how Russell has dealt with all the controversy he’s faced during his time here, an aspect of the Boston legend’s time in town that’s often overlooked amid the more exciting aspects of his triumphs with the team.

“The way people talk about his name today is welcome and you’d think he’d be accepted when he stood up for what he believed in,” the Celtics wing said.

“It was not like that. People trying to pretend they’re in Boston.

“Nah. Bill Russell, terrorizing his family, his home, calling him all kinds of names, disrespectfully trying to run him out of town. And worse, it’s right here in downtown Boston. It has a statue now, and I think it should be twice as big as it is now.

“How things can change—sometimes you won’t always be accepted for what you think or what you believe,” he continued, “but hopefully, if people know your heart and your intentions, it will even out over time.”

Both Brown and Russell have used their platforms for great good, and each has been critical of things they later regretted.

As expected by a player, an activist and a human being, so is the criticism leveled at both. But despite this, Brown has no ill feelings towards the city he calls home.

“There are misconceptions in Boston,” Brown said. “There are a lot of Bostonians who lived there, who were great people, who went into the community, who gave their lives to some cause.”

“Prison and the Wealth Disparity. Our education system. There are a lot of families that have been in Boston for a long time[but]if it wasn’t for the narrative in Boston, you wouldn’t have heard or seen that. But there’s also a part of Boston where the shoe fits—where I see a lot of issues that need to be covered in our community.

“Someone has to say something,” the Celtics star added.

Trying to walk the knife-edge of public advocacy on a stage created by elite athleticism and talent that seems largely divorced in the fan’s eye from a cause close to Brown’s heart has not always been an easy task. Native of Marietta.

But the edge of that knife had a path blazed ahead of him to make it a little wider than it had been when Russell was brave enough to walk—and a great example of Boston when the going got particularly rough.

Listen to the “Celtic Lab” podcast at:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Story first appeared on Celtic Wire

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