Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla offered an eye-opening take on how he expects his players to digest the recent ICE shootings in Minneapolis during their press conference after their 102-94 home win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday evening.
“Everyone has a way into which they use their platform differently. So I think the most important thing with that is actually the opposite, where I’d rather have those conversations with them, or let them feel any way that they can impact the platform that they have, which is way more important than basketball,” Mazzulla said via ClutchPoints’ Daniel Donabedian.
“We have a great group of guys that do that in different ways. Some do it in public, some do it in private. And I think you just allow for people to be able to do that. And that’s my favorite thing, is kind of being around them as men, whether they’re fathers, husbands, or just guys that have an impact on people. I think that’s the most important thing you can do,” the Boston Celtics mentor added.
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) released a statement on Monday afternoon about ICE’s killing of protestor Alex Pretti last weekend, which happened a few weeks after Renee Good died in Minnesota.
Boston Celtics News: Jaylen Brown dishes on the NBPA’s recent statement about the Minneapolis shootings
Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown emphasized the need to hold certain people accountable for what has happened in Minnesota in the past few days involving the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Obviously, basketball is entertainment and it’s important, but there’s other things going on in the world that are more important. The statement that we released from the NBA PA, we send our condolences to the families who recently have had their losses and our players, we don’t stand for it. We demand accountability, and we think that there needs to be some improvement in the tactics, the profiling, or whatever is going on,” Brown told Noa Dalzell of SB Nation.
“So it’s a lot, for everyone to see, and for the people who are in Minnesota who are having these experiences and all over the US, not just Minnesota, even here in Boston, there are things going on. It’s a lot to encapsulate in words. I just — I send my condolences, and the players as well. The Players Association, we send our condolences as well,” he ended.
