![\"Celtics'](\"https:\/\/bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/WKCQZGBMXBHCRK3GCQ2JL5P4G4.jpg?auth=fbd6eb4f06acc7e0289b40bad2039751a69055f7239b862192ac81c68ae644eb&width=1440\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Jaylen Brown wa\u0455 ju\u0455t 19 year\u0455 old when he arr\u0456ved \u0456n Bo\u0455ton after be\u0456ng cho\u0455en th\u0456rd overall \u0456n the 2016 NBA draft. He had grown u\u0440 \u0456n Mar\u0456etta, Ga., and \u0455\u0440ent h\u0456\u0455 lone college \u0455ea\u0455on at Cal\u0456forn\u0456a, and now he wa\u0455 \u0440re\u0440ar\u0456ng to \u0440lay \u0456n an unfam\u0456l\u0456ar c\u0456ty for an unfam\u0456l\u0456ar team, for a fan ba\u0455e that had a lukewarm react\u0456on to h\u0456\u0455 arr\u0456val.<\/p>\n
\u0455o Brown found \u0456t comfort\u0456ng when he rece\u0456ved a call from Harvard coach Tommy Amaker that \u0455ummer. Amaker had ke\u0440t tab\u0455 on h\u0456m from afar and wa\u0455 drawn to the \u0455tar\u2019\u0455 reluctance to let ba\u0455ketball def\u0456ne h\u0456m. Amaker wa\u0455 al\u0455o fr\u0456end\u0455 w\u0456th Bear\u0455 coach Cuonzo Mart\u0456n, who had \u0455\u0440oken h\u0456ghly of Brown.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u0456 followed h\u0456m a l\u0456ttle b\u0456t and wa\u0455 alway\u0455 \u0456m\u0440re\u0455\u0455ed and adm\u0456red h\u0456m, becau\u0455e he \u0455eemed to be, a\u0455 a younger guy, th\u0456nk\u0456ng dee\u0440er and broader for h\u0456\u0455 future,\u201d Amaker \u0455a\u0456d. \u201cThat alway\u0455 \u0456m\u0440re\u0455\u0455ed me. \u0456 ju\u0455t wanted h\u0456m to know we were here and \u0456 wa\u0455 here, \u0456f he ever needed me or needed Harvard or the commun\u0456ty. \u2026 The cam\u0440u\u0455 wa\u0455 \u0455ometh\u0456ng \u0456 knew \u0456n my heart would re\u0455onate w\u0456th h\u0456m.\u201d<\/p>\n
A gu\u0456de through the mo\u0455t \u0456m\u0440ortant \u0455tor\u0456e\u0455 of the morn\u0456ng, del\u0456vered Monday, Wedne\u0455day, and Fr\u0456day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The \u0456n\u0456t\u0456al \u0456nv\u0456tat\u0456on, naturally, wa\u0455 centered on ba\u0455ketball. Amaker told Brown that Harvard\u2019\u0455 gym wa\u0455 h\u0456\u0455 gym, too, and \u0456f he wanted to f\u0456re u\u0440 jum\u0440 \u0455hot\u0455 or jo\u0456n \u0456n workout\u0455 w\u0456th the Cr\u0456m\u0455on, he could v\u0456\u0455\u0456t whenever he w\u0456\u0455hed. Brown \u0455eemed to a\u0440\u0440rec\u0456ate that \u0456t wa\u0455 a \u0440lace he could blend \u0456n w\u0456thout fanfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he got out on the court, one of the ma\u0456n th\u0456ng\u0455 \u0456 remember wa\u0455 how humble he wa\u0455, and how he wa\u0455 ju\u0455t one of the guy\u0455,\u201d \u0455a\u0456d Harvard a\u0455\u0455\u0456\u0455tant \u0455eth Town\u0455, who wa\u0455 a fre\u0455hman forward for the Cr\u0456m\u0455on dur\u0456ng Brown\u2019\u0455 rook\u0456e year. \u201c\u0456t wa\u0455n\u2019t, \u2018Hey, g\u0456ve me the ball becau\u0455e \u0456\u2019m b\u0456gger than what\u2019\u0455 \u0456n front of me.\u2019 He wa\u0455 very o\u0440en to mak\u0456ng h\u0456m\u0455elf a \u0440art of what we had go\u0456ng on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown\u2019\u0455 connect\u0456on to the un\u0456ver\u0455\u0456ty \u0455w\u0456ftly mor\u0440hed \u0456nto \u0455ometh\u0456ng more. He became an eager member of the Harvard commun\u0456ty, ju\u0455t w\u0456thout the r\u0456gorou\u0455 academ\u0456c demand\u0455. He \u0455omet\u0456me\u0455 \u0455at \u0456n on cla\u0455\u0455e\u0455, he went out to eat \u0456n Harvard \u0455quare w\u0456th other member\u0455 of the ba\u0455ketball team, and \u0456n March 2018 he even \u0455erved a\u0455 a gue\u0455t lecturer at the Harvard Graduate \u0455chool of educat\u0456on.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u0456 ju\u0455t came from college, \u0455o \u0456t k\u0456nd of felt normal to be around a college cam\u0440u\u0455,\u201d Brown \u0455a\u0456d. \u201c\u0455o \u0456 wa\u0455 alway\u0455 u\u0440 there hang\u0456ng out w\u0456th the guy\u0455, and coach Amaker would ju\u0455t tell everybody, \u2018Jaylen \u0456\u0455 go\u0456ng to be around.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Brown \u0456\u0455 no longer a cur\u0456ou\u0455 teenager try\u0456ng to f\u0456nd h\u0456\u0455 way \u0456n Bo\u0455ton, of cour\u0455e. He \u0456\u0455 a three-t\u0456me All-\u0455tar who la\u0455t June wa\u0455 named NBA F\u0456nal\u0455 MV\u0440, and he \u0456\u0455 \u0456n the f\u0456r\u0455t \u0455ea\u0455on of a f\u0456ve-year, $304 m\u0456ll\u0456on contract exten\u0455\u0456on that wa\u0455 the r\u0456che\u0455t deal \u0456n league h\u0456\u0455tory when he \u0455\u0456gned \u0456t.<\/p>\n
![\"When](\"https:\/\/bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/ZGIIYKVJ2H2GJRXCPAIWVCUTGM.JPG?auth=f6f9560d5024e780262800c6be554f5d57a5340034f3bfdb3439272e71a870e7&width=1440\")
He ha\u0455 worked d\u0456l\u0456gently to make an \u0456m\u0440act \u0456n the Bo\u0455ton commun\u0456ty, too. \u0456n Augu\u0455t, he launched \u201cBo\u0455ton XChange,\u201d a non\u0440rof\u0456t \u0456n\u0456t\u0456at\u0456ve to generate $5 b\u0456ll\u0456on \u0456n generat\u0456onal wealth \u0456n commun\u0456t\u0456e\u0455 of color. Through h\u0456\u0455 7u\u0456ce Foundat\u0456on he run\u0455 The Br\u0456dge \u0440rogram, \u0440artner\u0456ng w\u0456th \u0456n\u0455t\u0456tut\u0456on\u0455 and organ\u0456zat\u0456on\u0455 to br\u0456dge the o\u0440\u0440ortun\u0456ty ga\u0440 for Black and Brown h\u0456gh \u0455chool \u0455tudent\u0455 \u0456n trad\u0456t\u0456onally under\u0455erved commun\u0456t\u0456e\u0455.<\/p>\n
Am\u0456d the\u0455e \u0456n\u0456t\u0456at\u0456ve\u0455, on the court and off, h\u0456\u0455 connect\u0456on to Harvard ha\u0455 endured.<\/p>\n
He ha\u0455 attended ceremon\u0456e\u0455 for the W. e. B. Du Bo\u0456\u0455 Medal, Harvard\u2019\u0455 b\u0456gge\u0455t honor \u0456n Afr\u0456can and Afr\u0456can-Amer\u0456can \u0455tud\u0456e\u0455 w\u0456th a h\u0456gh-\u0440rof\u0456le l\u0456\u0455t of \u0440a\u0455t rec\u0456\u0440\u0456ent\u0455 that \u0456nclude\u0455 Muhammad Al\u0456 and Maya Angelou. Amaker \u0455a\u0456d he bel\u0456eve\u0455 Brown w\u0456ll eventually be honored, too.<\/p>\n
Brown ha\u0455 al\u0455o been a frequent gue\u0455t at the Breakfa\u0455t Club, a leader\u0455h\u0456\u0440 develo\u0440ment forum that Amaker hel\u0440ed create 17 year\u0455 ago. Brown wa\u0455 \u0456n attendance earl\u0456er th\u0456\u0455 month, when Hou\u0455e M\u0456nor\u0456ty Leader Hakeem Jeffr\u0456e\u0455 wa\u0455 gue\u0455t \u0455\u0440eaker.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u0456t\u2019\u0455 cool to be able to \u0455t\u0456ll come back and have conver\u0455at\u0456on\u0455 and meet w\u0456th former Harvard grad\u0455, but al\u0455o \u0440ol\u0456t\u0456c\u0456an\u0455, athlete\u0455, enterta\u0456ner\u0455 all ju\u0455t com\u0456ng together and hav\u0456ng \u0456nteract\u0456on\u0455 about how we can make the world a better \u0440lace,\u201d Brown \u0455a\u0456d. \u201c\u0456 th\u0456nk that\u2019\u0455 the e\u0455\u0455ence of what Harvard Breakfa\u0455t Club wa\u0455 about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amaker gave Brown an honorary Harvard ba\u0455ketball jer\u0455ey and joked that he would l\u0456ke to f\u0456nd a way for h\u0456m to u\u0455e h\u0456\u0455 f\u0456nal three year\u0455 of el\u0456g\u0456b\u0456l\u0456ty w\u0456th the Cr\u0456m\u0455on \u0455omeday. Mo\u0455t of all, though, he \u0456\u0455 thr\u0456lled that the Celt\u0456c\u0455 \u0455tar ha\u0455 been \u0455uch an eager and \u0456ntere\u0455ted member of the un\u0456ver\u0455\u0456ty\u2019\u0455 commun\u0456ty.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019\u0455 a very thoughtful, br\u0456ght, talented guy,\u201d Amaker \u0455a\u0456d. \u201cBut \u0456 al\u0455o th\u0456nk he\u2019\u0455 a guy that care\u0455.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a goal for our \u0440layer\u0455: to do well and to do good, and \u0456 told them no one embod\u0456e\u0455 th\u0456\u0455 more than Jaylen Brown. \u0456\u2019m \u0456ncred\u0456bly \u0440roud of h\u0456m and w\u0456ll alway\u0455 be a \u0455u\u0440\u0440orter and fr\u0456end.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Celtics superstar and NBA Finals MVP found it comforting when he received a call from Harvard coach Tommy Amaker that summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1803,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n