While Brown was the youngest player to be voted as vice president of the NBA Players' Association over a year ago, the Celtics guard has been a prominent voice since -- especially while in the bubble on issues of social injustice and police brutality.
"I'm going to do everything I can while I'm here to pull the next person up." - @FCHWPO pic.twitter.com/vI3KEkmrDJ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 5, 2020
Joining Brown in receiving this season's award is Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings, George Hill of the Milwaukee Bucks, Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks.
"This year'ss end-of-season award recognizes five players whose exemplary work advanced social justice and provided COVID-19 relief and support, reflecting the longstanding passion of NBA players to give back to their communities and stand up for the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion," the said NBA in a official statement.
"The five recipients made concerted efforts throughout the 2019-20 season – which extended nearly a full calendar year including the league's hiatus and restart – to leverage their platforms and voices to engage, empower and support different communities amidst the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic and social justice movement following continued incidents of racialized violence against Black men and women. Each winning player will receive $10,000 to their charity of choice, a donation from the NBA and Kaiser Permanente."
"Brown has continuously demonstrated leadership in Boston and Atlanta and throughout the hiatus and restart, organizing action and advocating for racial and educational equity," per the NBA's statement. Following the killing of George Floyd, Brown drove 15 hours to his native Atlanta and organized a peaceful march on May 30. Brown's impassioned advocacy towards social justice inspired the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice campaign, a multi-focus commitment to addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the greater Boston area.
"In response to the pandemic, Brown made a significant contribution to the Boston Resiliency Fund, a city-led effort to assist communities most impacted by the pandemic. His generous donation provided meals for senior citizens and families most in need, new technology for students as they transitioned to remote learning as well as continued support for first responders. Brown has selected the 7uice Foundation as the recipient of his donation."
Congratulations @FCHWPO 👏
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 5, 2020
Your work in the community and commitment to addressing racial injustice and social inequities has not gone unnoticed. #NBACares pic.twitter.com/EXGgExDboL
Whether organizing a protest following the killing of George Floyd or speaking out on the injustice surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor, this award is well-deserved as Brown continues to display leadership that goes way beyond his 23 years of existence.
"As a young person, you've got to listen to our perspective, said Brown back in May while holding a 'I Can't Breathe' sign during his march for George Floyd. "Our voices need to be heard. I'm 23 years old. I don't know all of the answers. But I feel how everybody else is feeling, for sure. No question."
Joel Pavón
Follow @Joe1_CSP
Photo used courtesy of Getty Images
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