WATCH: Jaylen Brown, Boston thank Celts icon Bill Russell for activism

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics put together a tribute video thanking Celtics icon Bill Russell for his work as a civil rights activist as well as an athlete.

If there’s been a player more like Bill Russell in their support of civil rights off the court in the Boston Celtics’ seven decades of history than fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown, they do not easily spring to mind.

So it was most appropriate for the Cal-Berkeley product to be the first of several Celtics to laud the Celtics legend in a recent team-produced clip circulated by Boston on Twitter with the hashtag #BecauseOfYou.

Teammates Marcus Smart, Javonte Green and Grant Williams added messages to Russell as well.

“Because of you, it is okay to be an activist, and an athlete,” Brown began.

“Because of you, kids that look like you believe that they can win. Because of you, there is a standard for being a human being and being an athlete. Because of you, it is okay to be more than just a basketball player. Because of you, I am proud to be a Celtic.”

“Thank you, Bill Russell — for everything,” closed the Georgia native.

Russell, an 11-time NBA champion, is widely considered one of the greatest winners in any sport of all time.

But if he is remembered for anything, it will be the work he did as a civil rights activist to advance the position of Black and minority Americans everywhere.

From holding integrated basketball camps harrassed by the Ku Klux Klan all to marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington all the way up supporting those who have since picked up the struggle, Bill Russell has been what Jaylen Brown is becoming for a half-century and counting.

For that, we echo Jaylen Brown in saying “thank you” for your life’s work.

And the basketball, too.

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