Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown discussed the seriousness of mental health on Sunday, but he still found a way to somehow lighten the mood by cracking jokes at the expense of Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
Following his double-double outing of 19 points and 12 boards in the Celtics' 122-119 win over the Orlando Magic, Brown touched upon the subject of players' psychological mindset while playing inside the bubble. While talking to reporters post-game, the 6-foot-6 forward couldn't help but poke fun at Mitchell who just happened to be in the same vicinity at the time.
“I also want to bring attention to mental health, and awareness. Being here in this bubble, I guess people might not speak on it but it is a challenge to a lot of guys,” the Celtics' rising star said, per Jestin Leger of NBC Sports.
“It's like you're at work all the time. Like, a lot of time a lot of guys when they get done playing basketball, they want to be able to leave and forget about basketball for a little bit. It's impossible here in the bubble. You go out and chill, you might see Donovan Mitchell sitting there and you're like, ‘Man I don't want to see him right now.' But it kind of is what it is.”
Just to be clear, there's no beef between Brown and Mitchell, and the Celtics youngster was just making the comment in jest. The two stars actually developed a strong bond following their stint as teammates with the USA National Team in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
Jokes aside, Jaylen Brown's comments certainly make a lot of sense since the pandemic brought upon unprecedented playing conditions for the 2019-20 season.
“I definitely want to bring awareness to mental health, anxiety, and forms of depression in times like this and places like this in the bubble,” Brown added. “Our athletes probably struggle with that and don't feel confident enough to speak openly about it. So being able to talk to somebody, being able to find ways to replace those tires is conversations that need to be had … It's tough being away from our family and being isolated from the rest of society.”
Playing in an enclosed environment does leave players with no choice but to bump into each other all the time, making it hard for them to take their mind off the game.
Brown, for his part, has acted as a voice of reason inside the bubble — not only for the Celtics but for all NBA players. He commented about police brutality once again and noted that is should be referred to as “domestic terrorism“.
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