Jaylen Brown's Boston Celtics bromance counterpart, Kristaps Porzingis, may have convinced him to take part in the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest -- a rumor that popped up on February 5 that No. 7 was strongly considering it -- according to The Athletic's Jay King.
"Back in 2018, Kristaps Porzingis said Jaylen Brown should be in the dunk contest," King prefaced before saying, "Now they’re teammates and Jaylen’s considering it."
Throughout the course of the 2023-24 season, Brown and Porzingis have developed on-court chemistry, upping their play-making abilities particularly in a two-man game between the Latvian and the longest-tenured Celtic. If Porzingis's influence is strong enough to make the Slam Dunk Contest mean something, with an All-Star potentially taking part in the event for the first time since 2018 with Victor Oladipo, this bromance is clearly stronger than anyone could've imagined.
Jaylen Brown can be first Boston Celtics Slam Dunk Contest winner in 17 years
Brown has a chance to make history for the Cs by being the first participant and winner of the Slam Dunk Contest from Boston since Gerald Green in 2007. Can he win it, though? NBC Sports' Kurt Helin wonders if Brown can adjust from being a great in-game dunker to being a competition dunker.
"Brown is an elite in-game dunker, but that is a very different style than the exhibition dunker with no defense," Helin prefaced before saying, "We’ll see if Brown can thrive in that setting."
Brown's athleticism is off the charts, so finding the creativity to match will be the key to winning the All-Star weekend event. Perhaps Porzingis can get involved, allowing Brown to dunk over him like we've seen countless times in the past from a competition dunker and a big man willing to be a prop.
Banner 18 is the ultimate goal, but there's no reason not to want to see another Celtics victory before then during the NBA's annual regular season break.