Celtics

What Jaylen Brown said about his dunks, possible dunk contest appearance

"Enough people ask for it, we’ll get it."

Jaylen Brown has thrown down many vicious dunks this season. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

December 21, 2023 | 10:32 AM

Jaylen Brown has quite an impressive resume. He’s a two-time All-Star and picked up his first All-NBA nod last season. He also helped the Celtics reach the NBA Finals in 2022, with his efforts being rewarded this past offseason with the wealthiest contract in NBA history.

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Brown has accomplished much more than most players could ever dream of, but there’s one thing he doesn’t have: a Slam Dunk Contest appearance. But if enough people want to see him participate, that could change in the near future.

“We’ll see,” Brown told reporters after Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. “I haven’t put any thought into it. Maybe if the people want it, enough people ask for it, we’ll get it. As of now, I’m not really thinking about it.”

An invitation to the dunk contest for Brown would certainly not be unearned. He’s well-regarded across the league for his impressive slams and powerful posters. There’s no way to stop him from connecting with the rim once he starts to drive, a fact that Kings forward Trey Lyles learned the hard way on Wednesday.

Jaylen Brown poster on Trey Lyles. That was nasty.pic.twitter.com/EVx7XhlAwJ
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 21, 2023

As Brown exploded to the rim, the entire crowd erupted in cheers. Even the Celtics were in awe of what Brown had done, as teammate Oshae Brissett crashed Brown’s postgame presser just to ask which poor opponent would be his next victim.

Lyles isn’t Brown’s only victim though, as the Celtics star has an impressive poster collection that includes the likes of LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In 2022, his dunk over Dallas’ Maxi Kleber even impressed Celtics legend Kevin Garnett.

But none of that is intentional. For Brown, all of his dunks are purely the result of his intuition.

“[Dunking is] just all instinct,” Brown said. “That’s all it is. You kind of read and react as I see the parts kind of moving. Then the defense making the rotations, you kind of know where to go and when to go and kind of the game tells you what to do.”