Jaylen Brown hosts mentoring event for rookies, wants to be NBPA president one day

The Undefeated ran another wonderful profile on Jaylen Brown and the impact he’s already trying to have as a second year player in the league. The California Golden Bears alum isn’t just turning heads with his occasionally spectacular play at Summer League. He’s also trying to make an impact on the players around him.

While Las Vegas is generally known as a place for cheap thrills and indulgences, Brown is focused on something deeper during his time at NBA Summer League. Brown is hosting an event (paying with $5000 of his own money) for young players and new NBA rookies that focuses on bonding and mentorship.

“There are a lot of young guys here, and there is nothing to do in Vegas if you’re under 21,” the 20-year-old Brown told The Undefeated. “I just want to do something. Hang out, talk to them. Build relationships. I’m not 21. [Celtics teammate] Jayson [Tatum] is not 20. A lot of the draft picks are young.

“I’m going to let them bring whoever they want. Food is on me. Everything.”

Brown has been utilizing the knowledge he’s acquired at Cal to try and improve not only his life, but the people around him. Here’s a synopsis of his time at Cal off the court:

He learned Spanish during his freshman year at Cal and said that while improvement is still needed, he is confident he can conduct interviews in the language. He said being bilingual is good for personal growth and for business and he wants to learn three more languages by age 25. He took classes such at Cal on global poverty and practice, theoretical studies and student activism as a freshman, because he wanted to be able to debunk “a lot of misconceptions about people who are poor, homeless or etc.” He owns and can play an acoustic guitar (“I’m not going to toot my own horn. I’m all right.”). He interned two months at Base Ventures with Moore (“I was happy to find out that Jaylen was very keen to learn and take advantage of the tech eco system that thrives right in his backyard,” Moore said).

Brown isn’t just thinking about the here and the now either. He has eyes on potentially representing all players as the NBA Player’s Association president (the position is currently held by Chris Paul).

“That’s something that I’ve always had my eyes set on,” Brown said. “It’s a great position, and I think there is a lot of change that could still be made in the league. I don’t want to say too much … but I think I could be a great advocate for the players and represent the league well one day.”

President Jaylen Brown has a nice ring to it.