Now That He Has An Extra $300 Million, Jaylen Brown Wants To Address Boston's Wealth Disparity

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is the recipient of the richest deal in NBA history. As such, this made him feel like this is a good time to address income inequality.

Brown and the Celtics came to terms on the supermax extension a 5-year deal worth $300 million.

That's an AAV of $60 million for those of us who are terrible at math.

Brown announced his new deal with some serious grandstanding. He was hosting a camp at MIT for Black and brown high schoolers in the Boston area, according to Yahoo Sports, and had the teenagers on hand for the news.

Oh yeah, and he also recruited John Carlos, Olympian and activist remembered for his famous fist-in-the-air gesture alongside teammate Tommie Smith after the 200m race at the 1938 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

As you may have guessed, Brown's new deal comes with a social agenda.

After signing the richest deal in NBA history, Brown has sights set on fighting wealth inequality. (Photo by Stephen Nadler/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jaylen Brown Hopes To Close Wealth Gap Even Though There Will Always Be One In Some Form

Brown also said he felt like him getting the biggest payday anyone hoops player has gotten since ol' Jim Naismith stapled a peach basket to the wall was the perfect time to talk dollars and cents.

“Shrinking the wealth gap could actually be something that could be better for the entire economy,” Brown said.

“With the biggest financial deal in NBA history, it makes sense to talk about money, investment, and community, but to also the wealth disparity here that nobody wants to talk about.”

Well, that's not exactly true. People talk about it all the time. Just a few years ago Bernie Sanders ran an entire presidential campaign on this topic.

That's because it's one of those issues you can rail against all you want for progressive street cred. It doesn't require any action either. You say how evil rich people are then take a bow while bouquets thrown by gender studies majors from San Francisco State rain down on you.

The truth is there will always be people with more than others.

This crusade to thwart the income gap sounds altruistic but in reality, it's just pissing in the wind for show.

And what a terrible show that would be.

The city of Boston has been slammed for having one of the largest wealth gaps in the nation. However, one of the most often cited statistics is flawed. (Getty Images)

Boston Is Regarded As Having A Large Wealth Gap, But Statistics Used To Highlight Are Often Flawed

Harping on the wealth gap requires demonizing rich people — like Brown, ironically — instead of pointing to them as examples of hard work and success. In some instances, it also involves dividing people along racial lines.

“I want to bring back Black Wall Street here to Boston,” Brown said. “I want to attack the wealth disparity here.”

In their story about Brown, Yahoo Sports cited a famous 2015 study that found that the median net worth of a white family in Boston was $250,000 while for Black households it was just $8.

For some reason — despite using this study in an attempt to support their argument — they linked it to a story from Boston NPR station WBUR. That piece discussed the flaws in that particular study. One big one is that the sample size included just 71 Black households.

So, maybe using statistics to support a progressive talking point so flawed that even an NPR affiliate has poked holes in it may not have been a winning move.

There Are Ways To Help Kids Help Themselves That Don't Involve Instilling A Victim's Mindset

Instead of creating an enemy and telling kids that the American economy is stacked against them, why not help them succeed in it through resources, support and inspiration?

What is the point of a rich person telling kids that he needs to fight the big invisible boogeyman for them? So they sit on their hands and wait for others to solve their problems? Just say, "I did it, so can you."

You don't need to be an NBA player either. Stay in school, stay out of trouble, then go to college or learn a trade. While that recipe for success isn't foolproof (nothing is), more often than not, following those steps will cause one's income and savings to go up.

It's not rocket science or brain surgery (though both are lucrative lines of work would someone pursue them).

If Brown gives people the tools and resources they need — which it sounds like he hopes to do — that can help the next generation of kids aspire to bigger and better things.

Let's just hope he does that without instilling a victim mindset in them.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle