‘Definitely a Boston connection’: Jaylen Brown shared why he paid tribute to Terrence Clarke during Slam Dunk Contest
Brown was a mentor to Clarke, a Dorchester native and NBA hopeful who died in a car crash in 2021.
Jaylen Brown paid homage to a few people en route to a runner-up finish in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night, but there was one that was a bit more moving than the rest.
The Celtics star put on Dorchester native Terrence Clarke’s Brewster Academy jersey for his first dunk of the final round. Additionally, the LED glass court displayed an image of Clarke, who died in a car crash in 2021 as he was preparing for the NBA Draft.
Brown went up for a 360-degree, windmill dunk while wearing Clarke’s jersey, which earned him a score of 48.6 out of 50 from the judges.
Brown had developed a close relationship with Clarke in the years prior to the NBA prospect’s death, notably attending his high school games.
“Terrence was like my little bro,” Brown told reporters. “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, and I think that’s what I did tonight.”
Earlier in the night, Brown paid tribute to former Slam Dunk Contest winners Dominique Wilkins, who was one of the judges, and Dee Brown, who was the first Celtics player to win the competition. In his first dunk of the night, Brown brought out someone who was wearing a Wilkins jersey, with that person instructing him to do Wilkins’ windmill dunk. He earned a score of 48.8.
Brown said that he felt the court “was a little slippery” on that dunk, wishing he “could have really done what I planned to do in my head or what I practiced to do.” But he thought the “message got sent.”
“I had fun while I was doing it, so I can live with those results,” Brown said.
In his second dunk of the first round, Brown brought out Jayson Tatum and YouTube star Kai Cenat. Tatum lobbed a ball several feet above Cenat’s head, who was sitting in a chair a few feet from the basket, as Brown dunked the ball home. On the follow-through, Brown covered his eyes in a similar fashion as Dee Brown did on one of the dunks that won him the competition in 1991.
Brown earned a score of 47.6 for that dunk, sending him to the final round. But the Indiana crowd wasn’t amused, booing at either Brown, the judges for their scoring, or both.
Following his tribute to Clarke, Brown capped off his night with some more creativity. He leaped over Donovan Mitchell, a close friend of his, while doing a windmill with his non-dominant hand, which was covered with a sparkling glove. Brown received a score of 49.2 for that dunk, but the crowd was still booing.
G League sensation Mac McClung ended up edging Brown with a dunk that was deemed perfect by the judges, jumping over Shaquille O’Neal to earn a 50 on the final dunk of the night and become a back-to-back champion.
Brown wasn’t asked about the boos from the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium, but he was happy about how the night went.
“For sure,” Brown said when asked if he accomplished everything he wanted to do. “I thought I had fun. I think that was what the ultimate thing was to go out and have fun. I accomplished that. It was an honor.
“At least I can say I did it at one point in my career, and I can live with that.”
Brown’s inclusion in the Slam Dunk Contest this year was notable as he was the first All-Star to participate in the competition since 2018. In recent years, the field has mostly been filled with role players, end-of-the-roster players, or G League players who have been known for their high-fly abilities.
Saturday’s field wasn’t that much different compared to the recent past outside of Brown. In addition to McClung, the other two contestants were Jacob Toppin, who’s played in five games for the Knicks, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., an emerging rookie for the Heat.
Brown said earlier in the day that he’s hoping his participation will lead to more All-Stars competing in the event in the upcoming years.
“It takes some energy to go out there and do tricks and perform,” Brown said when asked why he thought All-Stars have avoided the dunk contest. “On any given night, you’ve still got to go and perform for your team.
“I think ultimately this media era, some players are afraid to make it into a meme or anything like that. Like I wanted to come out and have fun with it, and that’s what I did.”
It isn’t unreasonable to think that Brown will be an All-Star next season. He’s earned the honor three times in four years as he’s emerged as one of the league’s best wing players.
Brown didn’t rule out the possibility of performing in the Slam Dunk Contest again in 2025, which will take place in San Francisco.
“We’ll see,” Brown said of next year’s event. “I’ll take it day by day. Today was fun. Regardless of the result, I feel like I was close, but it was fun nonetheless to get out there and have some fun, have some of my friends come out there. I thought we had a good time.”
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