How Celtics responded to 'scary' break-ins at homes of Jaylen Brown's mother, assistant coach

Zack Cox, Boston Herald on Dec 19, 2024

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BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics prioritized support for the members of the organization who were affected by a pair of break-ins during the team’s recent trip to Washington, D.C.

Jaylen Brown’s mother’s house in Wellesley and the Newton home of assistant coach Amile Jefferson both were targeted by intruders Sunday night, while the team was traveling for a road game against the Wizards.

Mazzulla confirmed those break-ins, which were reported by multiple outlets Wednesday night, during his pregame news conference ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. He expressed gratitude that no one was injured in the incidents.

“They’re healthy, which is good. They’re safe,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a scary thing for people. You see it around different sports and you’re obviously aware of it, but when it happens to you, you’ve got an understanding of the risk here. So we’re just happy that they’re safe, and I think communication is the most important thing. Jaylen has been there for his mother. We’ve tried to be there for Amile. I think the Celtics have done a great job of doing what they can to educate us on how to do better but at the same time, we have a sense of security and peace amongst us, and I think that’s been key this week.

“The basketball stuff isn’t as important as that, so that’s the No. 1 thing. Whether it’s our security team, the front office, police departments locally, everyone’s just kind of working together to make sure people are educated and as safe as they can. So I’m really happy that JB got to spend time with his mom and that nobody was there at Amile’s house and they’re doing better.”

Brown reportedly missed Tuesday’s Celtics practice to be with his mother. The NBA Finals MVP was back at practice Wednesday and in the lineup against Chicago.

“It’s not really about me; it’s about the people that were impacted,” Mazzulla said. “Making sure that they have what they need to feel safe, that they have the support. So it’s really about them, where they’re at and what they need to be able to feel safer in the environment that they’re in. Some of that, you can’t do because you can’t simulate that, but we’ve tried what we can.

“I think the Celtics do a great job of doing that, and I think that’s part of the culture. When you have opportunities like this to make things bigger than basketball, to be there for people, you try to take advantage of that. So I just hope that they know that we’re there for them.”

As of Thursday evening, it was not clear whether the burglaries were connected to the rash of similar incidents at the homes of several high-profile athletes in recent months. Those included NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow and longtime NBA players Bobby Portis and Mike Conley.

The NBA sent a memo to teams in late November informing them that the FBI had linked many of those break-ins to “transnational South American Theft Groups” with advanced surveillance capabilities that were looking to pilfer cash and other luxury items. The memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press, also urged players to bolster their home security.

The Celtics also have received multiple briefings from their internal security team, according to Mazzulla.

“The security team had some great updates for us,” the coach said. “The first one was the morning of the Cleveland game at Cleveland (on Dec. 1), and then we had another one obviously the other day. When something like that happens, you’re much more heightened to the awareness, just being educated on all the small steps that you could take. A lot of it’s out of your control, but there are things that you can do.

So whether it’s been the front office, whether it’s been our security team, whether it’s been local police departments, they’ve done a good job educating us on how we can get better. But most importantly is making sure the families of the people involved are as comfortable and can be not just safe from the standpoint of their homes, but psychologically, as well.”