Bruce Brown on Growing Up with Racism in Boston

Bruce Brown was interviewed after the Nets’ practice ahead of Game 3 vs the Boston Celtics in their first-round matchup. He was asked about going back to Boston, his hometown, Kyrie Irving’s comments about Boston, and about his specific experiences with racism growing up in Boston.

Brown talked about what it feels like traveling back home to play a playoff game. He was specifically asked about his time as a fan growing up, and if he went to many games. This was his response: “I used to come to a lot of games when I was younger… the last game I went to was, Kobe played here and he destroyed them… I used to come to a few games for sure.”

Brown was also asked about Kyrie Irving’s comments and what he thought about them: “When I was younger I experienced a few things for sure… you grow up and you get used to it… I definitely in my high school days experienced a few things for sure… I try not to worry about it too much.”

Rachel Nichols then expanded upon the question, asking about specific experiences he dealt with growing up. Brown gave this answer: “High school… I was called a few names before… I’ve been called a monkey before because I was dating the opposite race at the time… it was tough at the time, but now it’s just like whatever.”