Jaylen Brown, Celtics reminded basketball is secondary after home break-ins

BOSTON — On Sunday, with the Celtics in Washington DC to face the Wizards, Jaylen Brown’s mom was the sufferer of a house break-in. On that very same day, assistant coach Amile Jefferson’s dwelling was additionally damaged into — and his 2024 NBA championship ring was stolen.

Gamers made clear the incidents, and their aftermath, have taken a psychological toll. Brown missed observe on Tuesday to spend time along with his mother, and after Thursday’s uncharacteristic Celtics’ loss to the Bulls, he admitted it had been an emotionally difficult couple of days.

“It’s been a troublesome week,” Brown mentioned. “Clearly, my mom’s safety is of utmost significance to me, and that’s been compromised — so it’s been a troublesome week. We’ve had media members and reporters exterior our home attempting to get an inside scoop. Like, have some respect.”

Brown acknowledged that his mom — who was within the dwelling on the time of the break-in — was bodily unhurt and that nothing immediately threatening occurred.

“However the truth that it might have simply type of lingers in your thoughts,” he mentioned.

The incidents are the most recent in a string of burglaries that high-profile athletes throughout the nation have confronted — a rising listing contains Bucks ahead Bobby Portis, Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

The elevated crimes led the NFL and NBA to each share memos with gamers about taking security precautions, with the FBI connecting some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Teams” which might be “reportedly well-organized, subtle rings that incorporate superior methods and applied sciences, together with pre-surveillance, drones, and sign jamming units” per the Related Press.

The memo mentioned the burglars are largely after “money and gadgets that may be resold on the black market, similar to jewellery, watches, and luxurious luggage.”

Whereas nothing was taken out of Brown’s mom’s dwelling, in Amile Jefferson’s case, the profitable championship ring was stolen.

Earlier than the sport, Joe Mazzulla mentioned the Celtics have been working to psychologically assist all affected events, in addition to to teach gamers and employees about precautionary steps they’ll take.

“Clearly when one thing like that occurs, you’re far more heightened to the attention,” Mazzulla mentioned. “So simply being educated on all of the small steps you may take. A variety of it’s out of your management, however there are issues that you are able to do.

“Whether or not it’s been our entrance workplace, whether or not it’s been the safety workforce, whether or not it’s been native police departments, they’ve performed an excellent job educating us on how we will get higher. However crucial factor is ensuring the households and folks concerned are as comfy and secure as they are often, and never simply secure from the standpoint of their properties, however psychologically as properly.”

Mazzulla mentioned the unlucky incidents created an opportunity for him and the group to exhibit assist and solidarity on a human degree.

“When you’ve gotten alternatives like this to make issues larger than basketball, to be there for individuals, you attempt to benefit from that,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I simply hope that they know that we’re there for them.”

“They’re wholesome, which is nice, in order that they’re secure,” Mazzulla mentioned. “It’s a scary factor for individuals. You see it occur round totally different sports activities, so that you’re clearly conscious of it. If it occurs to you, you’ve gotten an understanding of the chance there. We’re simply completely happy that they’re secure.”

Jayson Tatum reiterated that the entire expertise served as a reminder that basketball is secondary to household and life.

“It actually places issues in perspective,” Tatum mentioned. “Clearly, all people’s household is most essential, extra essential than any sport that we’ll play. So I can solely think about how robust that’s to have it in your thoughts and nonetheless attempt to come out right here and do your job at a excessive degree. Simply being there for him in any means that we will and understanding that we’re all on this collectively.”

Brown made clear the incident had shifted his perspective, however declined to elaborate on what he meant.

“To undergo that have and folks nonetheless in there, nonetheless within the crib and stuff like that, it simply makes you consider some issues in another way,” Brown mentioned.