For the past decade, Jaylen Brown meant a lot to the city of Boston. Yet as is often the case when a player gets traded away, his departure was a bit unceremonious.
After having his name floated in trade rumors multiple times over multiple years, Brown was dealt away to Philadelphia in early July, ending his 10-year career with the Celtics.
Unlike most athletes, though, Brown decided to give himself the chance to say goodbye on his own terms, hosting a block party on Boston Common over the weekend. The turnout was impressive and the vibes were positive, as Brown and the fans in attendance shared their mutual appreciation for each other throughout the day.
Celtics insider Chris Forsberg was in attendance for the event and found it to be a meaningful experience.
“It was still super fun to see the way that Boston turned out for Jaylen,” Forsberg said on the latest Celtics Talk Podcast. “And one thing I think that struck me is that it was a reminder how much he meant to the city — the city that he really, more than maybe any player in my time here, tried to wrap his arms around and was so involved. And so when it ends with Mayor [Michelle] Wu coming out and giving him the street sign for Jaylen Brown Way and saying maybe at some point down the road this will be a real thing, then getting the key to the city, it was — I was surprisingly moved by everything that went down.”
Kayla Burton added that the abrupt end of Brown’s Celtics career never felt right, making this unique celebration feel appropriate.
“It didn’t feel right. … I just felt like they didn’t do him right. We didn’t do him right in terms of the farewell goodbye,” Burton said. “So I’m glad this happened because it did kind of solidify the, ‘Thank you, Jaylen, for giving your blood, sweat and tears to the city of Boston.’
“He’s done so much,” Burton continued. “When you look at the Celtics and when you think of specific players that really are heavily involved in the Boston community, his name is at the top of the list. He is so involved, going to schools, Harvard, MIT, being at community centers, going to help the Boys and Girls Clubs around Boston. … So it’s more than just the basketball aspect. And that’s why I think that was that moving part too, is because he’s trying to create this Black Wall Street and doing so many things for young boys, young girls of color, and it means something to the city of Boston. So there is that element of it too, which is why I think it was as moving as it was.”
Both Forsberg and Burton believe Brown’s No. 7 will hang in the rafters at TD Garden after his playing career ends, but that’s a conversation for another day. For now, it can be stated with no doubt that Brown is now the rare athlete to be traded away from Boston while managing to gain some level of closure.
