Getty Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Boston Celtics currently find themselves boasting the top record in the association at 13-4, but all anyone can seem to focus on as of late is the recent controversial comment made by franchise centerpiece, Jaylen Brown.
A vocal apologist of former teammate and current Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving after having shared a link to a film that includes anti-Jewish tropes via his Twitter account back in late October, Brown recently was found seemingly sharing his support for the Black Hebrew Israelite group “Israel United in Christ” via the social media platform by retweeting a video of the group outside of Barclays Center showing support for Irving, commenting with the caption “Energy.”
Israel United in Christ has been deemed “an extreme and anti-Semitic sect of Black Hebrew Israelites” by the Anti-Defamation League which, per a follow-up statement by the wing, the Celtics star was unaware of upon sharing his original tweet.
After having posted his follow-up tweet, Brown was asked during a November 21 shoot-around if he could “elaborate” on his stance regarding the matter, and, with his response, he continued to make it clear that he was not aware of what Israel United in Christ’s values were.
“I didn’t have my reading glasses on. I didn’t know who that group was,” Brown said. “I saw a large group of people from our community showing support for (Kyrie) and his return. So me being proud of that support and being proud of our community for doing that does not me I endorse or celebrate some of the things that were being done or being said.”
Celtics Jaylen Brown on his tweets from last night.
“I saw a large group of people from our community showing support for (Kyrie) and his return. Me being proud of that support does not mean I endorse or celebrate some of the things that were being done or being said”
Brown has been a vocal critic of how Brooklyn has handled Irving’s punishment and suspension, going as far as publicly criticizing Nets owner Joe Tsai’s comments on the situation.
Celtics Star Blasted by Media, Fans
Though the Boston Celtics stud has attempted to set the record straight for his actions, this hasn’t stopped the masses from weighing in on their feelings toward the matter.
The comments section of Brown’s “Energy” retweet was quickly flooded with both fans and media pundits alike, and the majority of users implored the star to do more research on the context of the video.
@FCHWPO JB I hope you’ll reconsider this stance. This tweet is endorsing violence and division, not truth and community.
@FCHWPO C’mon Jaylen. This group, “Israel United in Christ” is not one to back. The Anti-Defamation League says they are an extremist group
Some were even under the impression that the tweet could be grounds for dismissal from the Boston Celtics organization.
@FCHWPO Jaylen Brown tomorrow trying to get in the celtics practice facility
Aside from being a cornerstone of the title-contending Celtics, Jaylen Brown also serves as the vice president of the National Basketball Players Association.
Former Celtics Big Man a Possible Target
Recent rumors suggest that the Boston Celtics may be open to making some roster-bolstering moves via trade this season, particularly in an effort to address their frontcourt depth.
With this, should Brad Stevens and company pursue such a move, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes that former first-round pick Kelly Olynyk could be a target worth considering for the ball club.
“Kelly Olynyk, who played his first four NBA seasons in Boston, could be obtainable if (when?) the Jazz cool off and remember they actually kickstarted a top-to-bottom rebuild this offseason,” Buckley wrote.
“A return to norm for Olynyk himself might speed up that process, as the 31-year-old currently sports career-high (and almost assuredly unsustainable) shooting rates from the field (53.1) and from three (47.3).”
Though Buckley noted that the 31-year-old provides very little on the defensive side of the ball — as Celtics fans are likely already aware from his stint with the franchise — he believes the big’s “steady source of shot-making, slick-passing and sound decision-making” could be of great value to Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.