Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Breaks Silence On His Dunk Contest Performance

During the 2024 All-Star Weekend, Jaylen Brown opted to participate in the dunk contest. The event coincided with Brown’s third All-Star appearance. He finished second, behind Mac McClung.

In a recent appearance on Derrick White’s “White Noise” podcast, Brown addressed his performance. He jokingly blamed Jayson Tatum for his passing during his dunk attempts and revealed his interaction with Adam Silver after the event.

“When I was practicing, I had a professional passer—somebody who got the timing right. And then, you know who threw my pass? JT. Terrible decision,” Brown said. “He threw the pass and it wasn’t a good pass. It just looked bad. It happens…The caveat was that it was one of the most-viewed dunk contests in history, for the wrong reasons. I had the most clips, I had the most… Everybody was sharing. Adam (Silver) actually thanked me. He came to the locker room after the dunk contest. I was like, Adam, get out of my face.”

Jaylen Brown & Derrick White had a good laugh at JB’s Dunk Contest:

“It was one of the most viewed dunk contests…for the wrong reasons.”

Still, Adam Silver found JB after to thank him for participating:

“Adam, get out of my face right now,” Brown joked.

🎥 @whitenoisepod_ pic.twitter.com/1XLW2IKX5d

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) December 22, 2025

Brown is one of the most explosive dunkers in the NBA. During the contest, he tried to incorporate some storytelling into his dunks. While many fans appreciated a different kind of approach, he wasn’t showcasing his full range of athleticism and explosiveness.

Nevertheless, Boston Celtics fans will undoubtedly appreciate hearing Brown’s thoughts on the event and how things played out. It’s also humorous that Tatum, who has developed into one of the better passing forwards in the NBA, was partly at fault.

Brown is on course to make his fifth All-Star appearance this season, which would mark his fourth consecutive selection. He’s enjoying a stellar season thus far, averaging 29.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, shooting 50% from the field and 36.5% from deep.

With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles tendon injury, Brown has stepped into a leading role for the Celtics. He’s thriving as the team’s primary offensive option and proving himself to be among the league’s elite scorers. Having both Brown and Tatum full of confidence will be essential for when the Celtics are ready to get back to challenging for a championship in the near future.