Celtics' Jaylen Brown Drove 15 Hours to Atlanta Protest After George Floyd Death

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown grew up in Marietta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, but had been spending his time in Massachusetts, presumably near the Celtics' training facilities.

At least that was the case until early Saturday morning, when he announced he would be peacefully protesting over the death of George Floyd.

Brown drove 15 hours to return home to help lead demonstrations following the arrest of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was fired after putting his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes Monday. Floyd later died in a nearby hospital, and Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter Friday.

Brown live-streamed parts of his time in Atlanta on Instagram and has been using his social media accounts to help direct protesters to certain areas.

Multiple parts of downtown Atlanta were damaged Friday night. Some protestors in the city vandalized several buildings, including the CNN Center across from Centennial Park, and smashed the windows at the College Football Hall of Fame.

The acts were followed by pleas from Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and activist/rapper Killer Mike not to destroy their homes and communities.

Brown, 23, is the youngest player to be named National Basketball Players Association Vice President and has given speeches on education at Harvard and MIT in Boston.

An alum of the University of California, Berkeley, where he took classes in a Master's degree program on Cultural Studies of Sport in Education, Brown became the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft and has since grown into a cornerstone player for the Celtics.