Jaylen Brown Is Bringing His Beautiful Mind To Harvard
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jaylen Brown is heading back to college.
Fear not, Celtics fans. Boston's young and talented forward is still going to do his thing on the hardwood. But on Thursday, the 21-year-old will bring his beautiful mind to the Ivy League as a guest speaker at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Brown is not only one of the bright young stars of the NBA, but he's also one of the brightest minds the game has to offer. He's shown that he isn't afraid to share his thoughts on any topic, as highlighted in a fantastic feature in The Guardian back in January when the Celtics were in London. Brown did not shy away from politics and race relations in that article, and expounded on the role athletes and sports play in today's society.
While his basketball journey will be part of Thursday night's discussion, that's just scratching the surface on what will be discussed in the forum, apply named "One on One with Jaylen Brown: Athlete and Intellectual." Brown discussed the upcoming engagement after Wednesday night's win over the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden, excited for the opportunity to share his thoughts and have some important discussions.
"I'm excited. To be honest, I'm overwhelmed," he told reporters. "I've been preparing mentally for it, so I'm looking forward to it. I don't know what necessarily to expect in terms of what the crowd will be or the expectations, but I've got some interesting ideas and I can't wait to share them.
"Who wouldn't be intrigued by that? Harvard only asks a select few people to come give a lecture or come speak at Harvard," Brown continued. "I think the last person they had was like Cornel West or Colin Powell or someone like that. So it's a pleasure to be able to speak in front of a crowd like that at a prestigious university such as Harvard. I take that with the most honor and can't wait to get out there and share my ideas."
Brown has become a pivotal part of Boston's success on the floor in just his second NBA season, advancing his game in a number of different ways. But Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says Brown's evolution goes far beyond what we see on the floor.
"Obviously, he's a smart guy and he's really curious about getting better on the basketball court and a lot of other things," said Stevens. "I've really enjoyed spending time around him. I think he's really thoughtful. I think he's a guy that wants to continue to grow in every way.
"We've talked about -- we want guys in here that are growth-oriented and have that mindset. That was clear before we drafted him, just in meeting with him, that he had that," Stevens added.
Brown knows he is one of the NBA's young and budding stars, and he is never afraid to speak his mind. He'll have a great platform to do just that on Thursday evening.