WASHINGTON — Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown said he had not yet arrived at his meet-and-greet at the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall on Monday when the event was shut down because of a large and disorderly crowd.
Brown had been scheduled to appear at the Champs Sports store with the rapper, Desiigner. Brown said he regretted that the situation had escalated so severely, adding that if he and Desiigner had arrived earlier, the issue could have been avoided.
The crowd swelled to more than 1,000, mostly teenagers, and when police tried to clear the scene because it had become a fire hazard, some became hostile and police used pepper spray to control the situation. Six juveniles were arrested for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and trespassing.
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“I was worried about some of the kids that were getting pepper-sprayed and things like that,” Brown said. “I don’t know who started what, if it was the kids getting rowdy or the police being aggressive. I’m just happy no one got hurt. I feel guilty that some kids got pepper-sprayed and the incident turned out the way it did.”
These events are fairly common for Celtics players, but they typically do not generate such large crowds. The fans were most likely there to see Desiigner, whose hit song “Panda” was ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May.
Brown said he hoped to reschedule the event, and that he wanted to apologize to the families of the six juveniles who were arrested.
“Safety is always something you want to make sure of,” Brown said. “Next time we’ll make sure it’s in a safer environment.”
Hot topic
It is generally coach Brad Stevens’s way to avoid potentially controversial topics. But when he was asked on Wednesday about the results of the presidential election, he offered a response that was at once subdued and loud.
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“The advice that I’ve always been given is don’t talk about politics and religion,” Stevens said. “And those are hard not to talk about right now. It wasn’t my vote. Let’s put it that way.”
The Celtics spent part of Tuesday afternoon touring the newly opened Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture here. Then on Tuesday night they watched the presidential election unfold along with everyone else.
Point guard Isaiah Thomas wrote on his Twitter account on Tuesday that he hoped Donald Trump would not win. Then on Wednesday he woke up in the nation’s capital to the news that he had.
“It was a rough night,” Thomas said. “Hopefully he’s good. That’s all I’m going to say.”
During the preseason and at the start of the regular season, the Celtics locked arms and bowed their heads during the playing of the national anthem as a sign of unity in protest of police brutality. Stevens said then that the issue had sparked deep, meaningful discussions among his players.
He said this election cycle had been a topic of conversation among the team, too, but no more than it was anywhere else in the country. Now, he said, the Celtics will look to shift their focus back to basketball.
“I think you have to be able to compartmentalize,” Stevens said. “We talked about that this morning, and that’s a hard thing. Everybody is . . . because it’s such a passionate topic right now, every team’s going to be feeling that this morning. It’s not going to be one team and not another.”
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Olynyk returns
Kelly Olynyk made his season debut against the Wizards Wednesday. Olynyk had been sidelined since undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
The 7-footer finished with 2 points and 6 rebounds in 26 minutes.
“The shoulder felt good,” Olynyk said. “I’m just trying to get back in the rhythm and obviously getting up and down and in synch with everybody. But felt good, felt strong. I’m getting some wind back but it was good.”
Olynyk’s return came at an important time for the Celtics, as forwards Al Horford (concussion) and Jae Crowder (ankle) remained sidelined, and neither player’s return appears imminent.
“Just a matter of getting comfortable and getting that game spring back,” Olynyk said. “I haven’t played in a game in a long, long time. So just the game legs. But it’ll be fine.”
Olynyk, who averaged 10 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season, gives the Celtics a dangerous 3-point threat who can help space the floor for Boston’s penetrating guards.
Stevens said Horford “did a little bit more” on Tuesday as he advances through the NBA’s concussion protocol. He did not have an update on Horford’s progress Wednesday, or whether he would be able to play against the Knicks Friday.
Wall fined
The NBA fined Wizards guard John Wall $25,000 for inappropriate interaction with an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner after he was ejected in the final minute of Washington’s 114-106 loss to Houston.
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Wall was ejected after getting his second technical of the game with 33.3 seconds left.
Official Marc Davis said he gave Wall a technical foul for bumping him. Davis said he told Wall to ‘‘watch himself’’ and that Wall ‘‘looked over his shoulder and used vulgarity and inappropriate language.’’
Wall also was ejected late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game for a flagrant-2 foul on Marcus Smart.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.