Tristan Thompson has opened up about the racism he says he experienced while playing for the Boston Celtics, while also praising his former teammate Jaylen Brown.

During a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay, Thompson reflected on his relationship with Brown and discussed the speculation surrounding the NBA star’s future shortly before reports emerged that Boston had traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I love JB,” Thompson said. “I’ve got to know JB very well.”

The two played together during Thompson’s lone season with the Celtics in 2020–21, but he said their friendship continued after he left Boston.

Thompson explained that Brown’s frustration likely came from years of trade rumors and questions about his role with the franchise.

He also suggested that Brown had earned the opportunity to lead his own team, despite being deeply connected to the Boston community.

According to Thompson, Brown has always been motivated by proving people wrong and represented the type of change Boston needed.

The conversation then turned to Thompson’s own experience in the city.

“When I played there, they call you the N-word,” Thompson claimed, leaving Sharpe visibly surprised.

Thompson said the incidents often involved intoxicated fans and recalled allegedly being called the slur outside a restaurant after declining to take a photo with someone.

“I definitely heard someone call me that outside of a restaurant because I didn’t want to take a picture with them,” he said.

Despite the experience, Thompson said he still had love for Boston, though he described the city’s drinking culture as intense and said some people became more reckless with their words after getting drunk.

Thompson’s comments add to the wider conversation surrounding racism in Boston sports, an issue several athletes have publicly discussed over the years.

Brown, meanwhile, has often spoken about social justice and community work throughout his career, both in Boston and beyond.