WEBVTT - NBA Star Jaylen Brown Talks Player Equity 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:07.040 Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:10.240 Hi everyone, thank you so much for joining us tonight. 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:13.120 We're really excited about the conversation, and thank you Jalen 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:17.720 for being here. You've had a particularly impressive season this year, 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:21.800 breaking several Boston Celtics records, including recently tying with Larry 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:25.520 Bird for the most consecutive games scored with at least 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:31.840 thirty points. So congratulations, thank you. But you've been a 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:35.159 passionate advocate throughout your career about both you and your 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.120 colleagues on the court being seen as more than just athletes. 0:00:38.479 --> 0:00:41.760 You're a thinker, you're a social justice advocate, You're an 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:45.680 entrepreneur and a philanthropist. Can you talk about that dynamic 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:47.559 and what is it like for you to juggle all 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:49.000 of those different roles. 0:00:49.600 --> 0:00:52.240 I think at this point is just it's kind of normal. 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:56.080 You know, from eighteen when I first came in to 0:00:56.120 --> 0:01:00.840 the NBA, I kind of had my experience cultivated at 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:03.480 Berkeley where I you know, I interned out a VC 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:05.559 when I was at when I was at Berkeley Bay. 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:07.759 Ventures with Eric Moore. 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:12.759 On top of doing what I did athletically and then 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:17.679 also challenging myself academically through graduate courses and stuff like that. 0:01:17.720 --> 0:01:20.480 So I think UC Berkeley really prepared me for the 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:22.240 journey that I'm going through like right now. 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.760 And you're also you use your platform a lot to 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.679 speak out on issues off the court. Can you talk 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:32.479 about why that's important to you and why that's something 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:33.360 that you choose to do. 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:37.200 Sure, Yeah, I think having a platform I look at 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:42.280 as a responsibility, like being able to affect households that 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:45.399 you may not ever get to see or reach or 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:50.320 families in the next generation in a sense. So I 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:55.920 take that with a great responsibility. So anytime that I can, 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:59.000 I try to push what's what I view is important 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:01.160 and what I want the ne US generation to learn about, 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:03.640 what I want them to emphasize, and what I think 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.360 being an athlete is about. You know, it's not just 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:11.359 about entertainment. It is about influence. To be able to 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.480 have a positive influence on your community, to be able 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:18.600 to have a positive influence on you know, society in itself. 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:22.840 So I kind of try to live my life in 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:23.480 that regard. 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:26.880 Do you feel like since you've been doing that, the 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:30.120 narrative around athletes has changed. Do you feel like it's 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:33.240 it's starting to break through this multi dimensional aspect. 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:35.240 I will hope so, I would hope. 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:38.440 So I would like to think that, you know, maybe 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.200 you know, sometimes it feels like that's not the case, 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:44.080 but you know, I would like to think that the 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:46.959 next generation is going to be a lot more athletes 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:52.560 or you know, understanding their value, thinking about how to 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:57.920 use their platform, also developing themselves outside of just being 0:02:58.600 --> 0:03:01.919 you know, entertainer sized lead in developing how they can 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:05.560 have a positive role influence on society and the community 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.200 in itself. I would think there's in the future there 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:10.480 will be a bunch more athletes that will be coming behind. 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:12.560 And I've talked to a lot of them, you know, 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:15.720 I just think the courage is what they just need. 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:19.960 Like once things become popularized and normalized, like it becomes 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:23.720 mainstream for athletes to be in a certain way, I 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:24.839 think you'll see a lot more. 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:29.360 And you turn down endorsement offers worth fifty million dollars 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:32.080 over multiple years and shows instead to launch your own 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:35.040 sneaker brand seven forty one. Can you talk about what 0:03:35.160 --> 0:03:37.640 motivated that decision and why you chose to do it. 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:42.880 Yeah, I mean, probably some delusion. 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:50.160 You know, most people will probably, you know, scratch their 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.960 head about decisions like that, and probably some people that 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:57.160 I know that are close to me probably still scratching 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:01.520 their head about some decisions that I've made. But for me, 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:06.560 you know things, Obviously, money is important. I think that 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:09.040 is a great resource to be able to do things 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:13.160 that you know, you want to do, financial freedom. But 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:16.760 there's things that I value more than money, you know, 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:23.760 commitment to my community, I think, just integrity. It means more, 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:29.240 being able to have an input, you know, creatively. All 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.719 these things are things that I would weigh when I 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:36.520 make my decision. And if you are taking away all 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:40.560 those things and only wanting to give me money, you know, 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:43.920 or you know, limiting my voice or something like that, 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.280 then it doesn't sound like something that might be for 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:47.080 Jalen Brow. 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.680 What's it been like running your own sneaker parent. I mean, 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:54.440 you're essentially a small businessman at that point. And what 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.360 lessons have you learned from that that you might want 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:58.040 to pass on to that next generation of that. 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.080 Yeah, I've learned so much. It's been so many ups 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.920 and downs. We've had delays, you know, we've had you know, 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.000 we've had things to go in different directions. We had, 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:11.960 you know, we had great victories and things that we 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:13.839 were super proud of and things that we want to 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.840 continue to get better at, just like any company, you know. 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:19.960 But to be able to go through that process I 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:23.239 started at twenty six, twenty seven years old. I'm twenty 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:26.720 nine now, to be able to understand like kind of 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:30.240 the ins and outs of you know, the sneaker industry. 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.800 I've learned a lot about and what I would like to. 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:36.760 See differently and kind of what I want to provide 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:39.479 for the next generation, just so they can have an 0:05:39.520 --> 0:05:42.760 option that's alternative to like what's being prisoned out there 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:47.039 right now right now. Largely, you know, artificial metrics dominate 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:52.440 our industry. Bots, you know, fake viral moments, clickbait. It's 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:55.719 kind of what they use as a as almost a 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:59.520 substitute for influence, right like we see it all the 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:05.360 time through these accounts mostly you know, large organizations. They 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:09.479 have a job description where your job is to go 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:13.960 find the most popularized accounts, work with them in order 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:16.760 to use their influence in order to push your product 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:20.279 or push your whatever. But we've gotten away from storytelling 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:24.360 in the industry, and that's like a true way to 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:30.560 you know, galvanize influence like storyteller testimonies like someone went 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:34.920 from here to here that inspires people. The industry has 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:40.360 largely got away from that because they think technology has 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:44.880 somehow become a substitute for human influence. And I think 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:46.600 that was the wrong decision and I would like to 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.120 see it go back and actually engaging with that consumer 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:54.440 of your products. Yeah, you know, I think people are 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.440 inspired and motivated when they hear other people's stories, and 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:00.440 they hear when they get to see them visually come 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:04.160 together and you get to see someone's testimonies that are 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.000 now it's a budget behind it, and now you get 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.440 to like I used to grow up seeing Lebron running 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:12.040 down South Beach and in him in Cleveland and everybody 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:14.920 like you know that as a kid, that was inspiring. 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:19.600 Now you just see clickbait on Now you just see 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.840 you know, clickbait and fake viral moments and see the 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.640 accounts that are trying to create and make me feel 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:30.440 like this is important, and it just don't feel the same. 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:33.880 It's like, you know, like it's like artificial light versus 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:34.600 the sun. 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:36.679 You know, it's a difference. 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.200 And you're also an investor in happy which is a 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.400 tech wellness company, and I wondered if you could talk 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:44.560 a little bit about what that company does and why 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:45.800 you chose to get involved with it. 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:48.400 Yeah, science is one of my loves. 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.480 I love science, also love history, so you know, I 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:55.280 look forward to going back to school and potentially getting 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:59.600 my degree in the scientific field, maybe physics, maybe astrophysics, 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:03.240 et cetera. But frequency technology is something that I've always 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:07.560 been fascinated with. Like, you know, everything that's around us 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:10.920 is frequency and vibration. That's just how matter is formed, 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:15.920 you know. So to be able to you know, have 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.200 a device or be able to learn about how these 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:22.840 frequencies and vibrations can have an impact on your daily life, 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:27.560 it's kind of what Happy is about. So I since 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:30.760 twenty twenty four, I've been the chief Innovation Officer of Happy, 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:34.560 which is this technology company that utilizes these frequencies, and 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:37.200 it's been my role to come up with what the 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:40.720 future of frequency technology could look like for this company. 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:42.000 So I've been enjoying that role. 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.760 I've learned a lot in that role, and we have 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:50.320 some cool announcements to make in the future regarding you know, 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:56.000 rebrand this up and cooming year and also some more 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.600 products that we would like to push out. But science 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:04.640 is always something that I've been fascinated with that kind 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:06.079 of makes me feel like a kid again. 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:09.160 So it's been cool with being the CIO of. 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:13.240 Happy And We've talked about some of your endeavors and 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:14.720 we're going to talk about more of them. But I 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:16.839 did want to ask, I mean, even just the ones 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.240 we've already talked about, how difficult is it to do 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:22.800 things like that with a season that stretches as long 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.800 as the NBA. How do you devote enough time to 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:26.760 these different ventures. 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:27.880 It's a balance. 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:32.200 It's a balance, and I'm very talented at the game 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:36.160 of basketball and I always have men and maybe I 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:38.840 could have diverted more focus in my younger career to 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:42.560 being all in on basketball, like and kind of just 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:45.320 these other things that I've also been interested in and 0:09:45.360 --> 0:09:49.360 I've kind of like cultivated and groomed alongside of my 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.640 basketball career because I just always looked at things from 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:56.920 a big picture kind of approach. But most athletes, they 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:59.320 just it's just, you know, this is the main thing. 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:01.680 Let me just focus on this. I kind of focused 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.240 on everything, and I think I've just had the privilege 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:07.600 that I've been. I've been blessed with talents and I 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:10.800 work hard, but I've always been naturally just very good 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:11.400 at this game. 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:13.800 So where you know. 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:17.520 Someone else would be might be difficult for them to 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:19.480 juggle one or two things, I could juggle three or 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:23.320 four over these, you know. So this season I focused 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:28.240 more on basketball than I ever have, I think in 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:31.400 my career, just because my team needed me to do 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:35.960 and be this every single nay. But you know, throughout 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:39.120 my career, I've always kind of had this approach where, 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:41.560 you know, I love basketball, but I love science, I 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.000 love education, I love philanthropy, I love giving back. I 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:46.840 love all these things as well, so I would divert 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:47.760 my time as such. 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:51.439 When you signed your five year, three hundred and four 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:54.760 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics, you announced another 0:10:54.880 --> 0:10:57.839 kind of long term investment, and that was your vision 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:00.559 to build a modern day version of Black Waltster here 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:04.880 in Boston. Can you talk about why that particular issue 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.560 is one that you've chosen to focus on and ultimately 0:11:07.640 --> 0:11:09.480 what you do hope to achieve here in Boston. 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:13.679 Yeah, So, for those who are unfamiliar, when I signed 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:16.320 my last contract, it was one of the largest contracts 0:11:16.360 --> 0:11:19.520 in NBA history, and I was in twenty twenty three, 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:23.000 twenty twenty three, right, So I thought at that moment 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:28.679 it'd be fitting to talk about since wealth and financials 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:30.280 was a topic of discussion, I thought it would be 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:32.400 great to bring up like that. I live here in 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:35.079 Boston and one of the things that doesn't get discussed 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:39.600 enough is the wealth gap here. It was an article 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:41.800 that came out, i think in the Boston Globe that 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:46.400 went viral that's very popular, talks about the average means 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:51.120 for households and demographics, and a lot of people were 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:56.319 disturbed by that, including me. So I thought, using your platform, 0:11:56.920 --> 0:12:00.720 you know, at this stage where we're talking to about 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:03.400 you know, what are you gonna do or what would 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:07.760 you like to do with the financial freedom and the 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.960 financial games that you just you know, signed for in 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.560 this city, I thought it would be fitting to make 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.760 a commitment to the city that I play in to 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:20.479 you know, attack some of the things that I feel. 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:21.880 I could also make it a better boss. 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:25.320 Like I've been here for ten years now, and so 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:27.600 I view myself as a part of their community. So 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:32.120 when I'm listening to the people and that I work 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:35.320 with the students, the families, et cetera about some of 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:37.880 the things that they would like to see different, you know, 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:39.880 some of the things that they you know, wish they 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:43.720 had opportunities to or access to that you know, nobody's really. 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:46.240 Talking about or bringing up. 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.079 I think, you know, from my platform being a a 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:52.280 athlete here, being one of the faces of the franchise. Uh, 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.920 I found it fitting for me to do that. So 0:12:57.000 --> 0:12:59.640 that was a few years ago. Now we're where, we've 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:03.680 launched Boston Exchange. We've had a cohort you know that 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:06.160 I've invested in. I've had a great partner in Drew 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.360 Holliday through his jailh Fund, one of the greatest teammates 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:12.280 that I've ever had partner with me. We both contributed 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:16.000 about a million dollars into investing into startups here in Boston, 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:20.880 into an accelerated program that you know, gives the talented 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:24.280 group of people that exist here that are minorities an 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:28.800 opportunity to win here in the city that they're born 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:33.880 and raising. The companies that we select often are the 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.280 solution based, Like they deal with sustainability, they deal with 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.800 food and securities, they deal with you know, mental health 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:43.920 or just staying healthy in the environment. So I feel 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:46.920 like you're like solving two problems in one. Not only 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.600 are you investing in the talent that's already there in 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:53.880 your city, you're also investing in something that's a solution 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.959 within the community as well. So I'm a firm believer 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:01.160 that investing in the talent here, talent would invest back 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:02.800 into the city that they were born and raised in. 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:05.599 So I think in the future we would like to 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:10.960 see you know, more companies, you know, more talented groups emerge, 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:14.760 and hopefully they emerge from our telebrated program. 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.360 Are there is there a particular success story from that 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:20.920 first round of applicants to your incubator accelerator program that 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:22.080 you're particularly proud of. 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:25.080 Yeah, we have a few, even so far, it's only 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:28.520 been a year or so. We've had you know, some uh, 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:30.800 one of our groups or one of our companies that 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:33.960 we've invested in Land a large government contract at the 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:35.280 Children's museum. 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:38.880 They deal with like, you know, food quality. 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:47.120 For Yeah, she deals with food quality for like you know, 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:51.560 you know, infants and adolescents and things like that. 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:56.240 And they were addling uh uh, they applied for According 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:57.160 to them, they applied to. 0:14:57.120 --> 0:14:59.960 Get this you know contract through the museum a few times, 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.360 and then they got denied. And then once you know, 0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:07.120 people saw that we were connected through our accelerated program, 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:11.360 that got the contract got approved. So now you know, 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.080 that puts them in more doors, gives them more visibility, 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:16.520 and I think they're on the way to being successful. 0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:19.400 It's also a hair care line that's doing really well. 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.760 I think they're probably doing the best out of all 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:26.120 of our groups. I forget the name, you know right 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:28.880 now of the company, but it's a haircare group that's 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:32.120 from Boston that we've also invested in in the last year. 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:34.800 They were already you know, they were very, very talented, 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:38.240 but they're starting to emerge and other they're able to 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.400 get other people to invest as well, And that's a 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:43.080 part of it, Like we wanted to just create the 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:47.040 motion for other people to be able to see the 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:50.640 talent that's here, because then now they're getting some notoriety 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:53.080 and now they're able to go and get into doors 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.320 that maybe they weren't able to get into before. That's 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:57.920 a part of it. Just creating that social capital is 0:15:57.960 --> 0:15:59.480 a step of it. Like we don't want to just 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:04.520 give companies money and just disappear and just think like like, 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:06.600 we have programming that they come and sign up how 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.920 to better their business. They did programming at Harvard that 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.200 they had to go through. They had programming at MIT 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:14.880 that they had to go through, how to develop and 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:17.960 correlate their businesses, how to make it more profitable, and 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:23.200 et cetera. They use AI and technology to make things 0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:26.080 a little bit easier for them to in house, bookkeep, 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:29.160 or whatever the case may be. And then you know, 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:32.360 we we try to give them that social capital on 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.000 top of that so that they can, you know, kind 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:40.200 of write their own destiny rather than rely on anyone. 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:43.240 So it's been it's been fun. We're looking forward to 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:48.120 maybe the next court. We're looking to We're making some 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:51.960 processes with our foundation and things like that to be 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:55.280 able to accelerate the next court. You know, we'll get 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.280 there and we'll have some announcements coming soon. But no, 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:01.080 it's been fun, and I'm very grateful shout out to 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:04.280 Duraliday the JLH Fund for him that he's only here 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:06.240 for two years. I've been here for ten, so it 0:17:06.280 --> 0:17:08.919 makes more sense he was only here for two and 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.440 invested that type of capital into the City of Boston 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.240 and that just says a lot about him and Lauren 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:18.280 and their character, which I speak very very highly of. 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.919 So do you plan to do another rounded applicants for 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.159 the incubator and is there a timeline for that? 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:25.120 I think we do. 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:28.119 Yeah, we don't have a timeline as of yet, you know, 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:33.760 but soon we'll be able to release some details about 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:36.119 like what's coming next. But you know, it would be 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:38.200 great to be able to do another coard and continue 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:41.479 to build out, you know, the vision throughout you know, 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:46.760 over a span of time. But you know, we're we're 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.840 working out the strategy and always trying to figure out 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:52.440 how to make and improve things and make it better 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:53.160 and more. 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.800 More efficient. So that's what we're working on now. Uh. 0:17:57.920 --> 0:17:59.520 And you touched on this event and this may be 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.119 the the research that you were referencing, But in twenty fifteen, 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.359 the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published a very influential 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:08.439 study that found the typical white household in Boston has 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.080 a median wealth of nearly two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:14.280 compared to just eight dollars for US born blacks and 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:18.320 zero dollars for Dominicans non white households were significantly less 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:21.680 likely to own homes or stocks than white households. How 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.600 have you seen that kind of wealth disparity reflected yourself 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:27.960 when you're out and talking to people in Boston and 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:29.160 meeting with people. 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:33.879 It reflects outside of the city even more like that, 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:38.280 because that becomes the perception of Boston. Because like when 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:43.160 you talk about you know, when people start using words 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:48.120 like racism, like most people think that it's like, you know, 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:51.280 a color dynamic, but it's a power dynamic more than anything. 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:57.199 Like you know, the analytics of opportunities and resources, the 0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:01.600 analytics educationally, the fighting, the wealth gap, the incarceration rate, 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:07.920 you know, the acquisition to housing, who's available. These are 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.679 the things that kind of make up that dynamic. So 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:14.840 when you look at the analytics of something like racism, 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:17.680 these are the type of things that you gotta look at, 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.760 not just like what's being said online or whatever the 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:23.119 case may be. And these are the things that I 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:27.119 want to push Boston to continue to be betteran But 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:29.960 because of those things, because of the articles like that, 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:33.480 Boston gets the perception that it does before you even 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:35.560 get to the city. These are the things that you 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:39.000 hear so to be able to work with the mayor 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:41.879 or the governor, be able to use my platform in 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:46.480 order to build a solution to some of the issues 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:49.040 that are going on in the city. In any way 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:51.560 that I can contribute to my society or any way 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:55.920 I can contribute to the community, I'm always looking for ways. 0:19:55.640 --> 0:19:56.160 To do that. 0:19:56.680 --> 0:19:59.320 You know, That's just kind of how I was raised. 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:03.280 My grandmother kind of raised us to be like that. 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:08.560 I'll watched her, you know, be community driven and things 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:12.480 like that, go knock on people's doors and fight for people, 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:15.280 to help the people that she was fighting for. You know, 0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:19.200 like if that made did I said, all right, So 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:23.879 so anytime I can make a contribution to my community, 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:25.760 I'm looking for I'm looking. 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:25.920 To do that. 0:20:26.440 --> 0:20:28.960 And in recent years, we have seen, to your point, 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:32.720 a number of organizations announce commitments to economic equity, but 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:37.159 we have also seen organizations pull back from or recast diversity, 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:41.760 equity and inclusion initiatives, particularly recently with President Donald Trump's 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:45.440 crackdown on such programs. Can you talk about what you're 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:48.879 seeing in the broader investment community and do you feel 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:53.640 like you're seeing tangible forward momentum from you know, financial 0:20:53.640 --> 0:20:56.600 institutions in particular and making the economy more equitable and 0:20:56.800 --> 0:20:58.400 helping to close that racial wealth gap. 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:01.600 Asked me that question one more time. 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:05.840 Just as you've seen, you know, different organizations pull back 0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:09.439 from DEI, how how are you seeing that manifest or 0:21:09.480 --> 0:21:13.480 are you still seeing positive forward momentum from financial institutions 0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:14.080 in particular. 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:15.600 So I've heard a lot of things. 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:18.640 I haven't seen anything personally, because in my line of work, 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:24.200 you know, DEI doesn't It's it's not an I don't. 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:26.679 I wouldn't say that it's something that is I I 0:21:26.680 --> 0:21:29.720 guess it is to some degree from staffing, et. 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:34.800 Cetera, but I would I don't know. I I don't know. 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:39.960 What financial institutions are are are looking to do. You know, 0:21:40.080 --> 0:21:42.040 from everything I've heard, they just kind of want to 0:21:42.040 --> 0:21:44.320 wait it out until it goes Two things changed, But 0:21:45.400 --> 0:21:47.960 I'm not sure if I'm best equipped to answer that one. 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:51.639 You're also the vice president of the National Basketball Players 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:54.520 Association and you've been in that role since twenty nineteen. 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:57.000 Why is it important to you to to stay in 0:21:57.040 --> 0:21:58.679 a leadership role in that organization? 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:01.280 Yeah, that's it's one of my favorite roles that I've 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:06.440 been in from I became the vice president at twenty 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:08.320 years old and I'm twenty nine now, so I've been 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:11.480 on the board for nine years and I've learned so much, 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:14.480 the ins and outs, what goes behind closed doors and 0:22:14.560 --> 0:22:18.400