Sam Lynch

A consistent theme from Jaylen’s comments tonight has been his connection to the city of Boston. It wasn’t just superficial. There are few players in the NBA who have invested so deeply into socioeconomic change in the way he has. He has gone way beyond giving money or even time. He took on the mission of evolving Boston and making it a more equitable place for minorities. So much of what he did in his new home served a bigger purpose. You could see it in how much time he dedicated to talking with kids when he put events together, or how he held meetings quietly behind closed doors with people in positions of power to advocate for policy change. Like, look at what he did with his extension signing at his Bridge program, or his sneaker unveiling at the museum of science that featured a panel on science education with Bill Nye. Him getting traded has a much bigger effect on the city than just losing a beloved player. I’ve been back in Boston this week and seeing so many people I know in the political and creative space be devastated by this trade because they valued him as much as a leader in the community as an athlete. And that’s why the character assassination stuff he called out on his stream was so prescient. I’ve seen him constantly put himself in rooms where it was clear his intent was to grow and to share, not to be the smartest person there. I remember when he spoke on the education system at MIT when he first got to Boston, struggled to get his presentation out cleanly, then kept improving and growing as a thought leader from there. From the beginning, he put himself out there trying to implement change in the community and he built a legacy few athletes have. It’s honestly the first thing I think of when I think about his time in Boston.