Before Boston’s No. 7 stepped up and brought star power back into the game, it had been six seasons since an NBA All-Star participated in the Slam Dunk Contest.
Jaylen Brown put a much-needed spark back into the main event of All-Sar Saturday Night in Indianapolis, and he did it in style, reaching the final round before losing to Mac McClung, the defending champion.
What made Brown’s night memorable was the messaging behind his dunks. He had said earlier in the day how he sees dunking as a form of art, and he expressed himself by paying tribute to various people and places that hold significance in his life.“When it comes to dunking, it’s an art form that I loved growing up and watching,” Brown said. “Me, I think I’m one of the best to do it in terms of dunking on somebody in the game. So I think this is a part of the journey; this is a part of my legacy.”
Beginning the evening with a windmill smash a la Dominique Wilkins, Brown honoured the place where he began his life—the Atlanta suburbs. Wilkins was one of the five event judges, and between them, their average score for this specific dunk was 48.8 out of a possible 50.
Brown then honoured Boston and its inaugural Dunk Contest victor, Dee Brown. The two wore the same No. 7 jersey in addition to having the same last name. Naturally, Jaylen had to attempt a new rendition of Dee’s well-known no-look slam. With help from special guest Jayson Tatum, he leaped over popular streamer Kai Cenat, who was sat just beyond the forbidden zone.
He advanced past Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Knicks forward Jacob Toppin into the finals with a score of 47.6 after this slam.
Brown changed from his Celtics jersey to a No. 5 Brewster Academy jersey with the name “Clarke” on the back for his third dunk. Terrence Clarke, a friend and native of Boston, tragically passed away in a vehicle accident in the spring of 2021 after finishing his first year at the University of Kentucky. This was a memorial service for him.
A 48.6 score was obtained by Brown after he launched himself into a strong 360-jam on the specially built LED court, which lit up blue and showed Clarke’s headshot in the key.
“Terrence was like my little bro,” Brown said. “Definitely a Boston connection. I wanted to have a purpose in everything that I was doing. I wanted everything to have a message behind it.”
Brown’s parting remark was humorous in nature—a dunk for the naysayers.
Social media has been the subject of some discussion about Brown’s dexterity during the last year or two. It has been an overblown narrative, to be honest, which he has already dispelled this season by recording his lowest turnover rate since 2019–20. But on Saturday night, he intended to use humour to get his point across. He then soared over his Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Donovan Mitchell, akin to Michael Jackson, and delivered a left-handed slam to his detractors, telling them to Beat It. Following his landing, Brown grinned and gracefully waved his gloved hand to the audience before earning his highest score of the evening, 49.2.
“I think that was what the ultimate thing was to go out and have fun,” said Brown. “I accomplished that. It was an honor.”
It was an honour for Brown to compete in the Dunk Contest. Such celebrity power was needed in the competition once more, and it was remarkable to see him put on such a masterful show.
