'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jaylen Brown became the first All-Star to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest since 2017. He competed against Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat, Jacob Toppin from the G League and defending champ Mac McClung. A win by “JB” would have made him the first All-Star to win the event for the first time since John Wall did it in 2014.
Brown opened the contest with a homage to the legendary Dominique Wilkins. He went up high and did a windmill slam with one hand. The crowd appreciated what he did and so did the judges who gave him a total of 48.8 for the early lead.
Jaylen Brown’s dunk to qualify for the championship, however, earned resounding boos across Lucas Oil Stadium. Brown began by bringing out popular streamer Kai Cenat together with Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum. The repertoire saw Tatum throw the ball over the head of the seated YouTuber before Brown caught it and slammed the ball. “JB” belatedly put his hand over his eyes the way Dee Brown did years ago.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) quickly reacted:
“The Jaylen Brown dick riding is insane”
Brown’s qualifying dunk that pushed him to the championship wasn’t appreciated by Vince Carter, who many call the greatest slam artist ever. Carter thought that Toppin’s between-the-legs, 360 dunk should have given him the right to face Mac McClung.
Maybe Brown saved his best dunk for the championship. For the final round, he pulled on a Brewster jersey and paid tribute to the late Terrence Clark. He had a whirlwind turnaround dunk that the fans appreciated more this time. It wasn’t enough, though, to hold off McClung from defending his title.
Jaylen Brown wanted to bring out the "art form" in dunking
Over the past few years, some of the NBA's best and most entertaining dunkers have shied away from the event. Last season, the league had to get Mac McClung from the G League to give more life to the competition.
McClung did as advertised and brought back the fans with an array of mind-boggling dunks. Jaylen Brown entered the challenge of beating the defending champ, the first big-name player to join in years.
He had this to say about what he aimed to accomplish:
"It's an art form. For me, it's about the show, the leadup, the buildup -- I think people will appreciate some of the stuff I'll do tonight once it gets slowed down, once you see the replay, but I think dunking is an art form."
One of his dunks was surely not what the fans thought as an "art form." The resounding boos and catcalls said it all. But, Jaylen Brown entering the contest could pave the way for other big-name players to join the event in the coming years.
