Celtics star Jaylen Brown named finalist for NBA Social Justice Champion award

Since the day he arrived in Boston, Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has prioritized helping the community. The five-time All-Star enjoys his off-the-court work and has accomplished everything from supporting minority-owned businesses throughout the city to sending underserved students to college with his 7uice Foundation Bridge Program. His work hasn't gone unnoticed, as the NBA made him a finalist for the 2026 NBA Social Justice Champion award. Brown joins Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Tobias Harris of the Detroit Pistons, Harrison Barnes of the San Antonio Spurs, and Larry Nance Jr. of the Cleveland Cavaliers as a candidate for the prestigious Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy. "Jaylen Brown has continued to advance economic equity and educational access through investments focused on entrepreneurship, ownership, and workforce development opportunities for Black and Brown communities," an NBA press release stated. From Roxbury to Cambridge, Brown has made an impact all over Boston and the greater Boston area. His mother, Mechalle Brown, is an educator who instilled the importance of community service and philanthropy in him from a young age. “No matter how tall you are, and how well you play the game, basketball is what you do, it is not who you are,” Brown's mother told him long ago, via The Ringer. “Who you are is measured by the mark you leave on the world. And to truly leave a mark on the world, you have to do the right things, and speak out against the wrong things. But in order to do that, you have to use your voice. After you use your voice you have to back it up with actions.” Clearly, Brown took his mother's wise words to heart. It's evident in his quest to bring back Boston's Black Wall Street and in the countless community events he runs every season. "Sports are very powerful, but there are other things that are more important," Brown told last July. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Blue Wire:  iTunes:  YouTube:  *This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: *