Celtics' Jaylen Brown on Dunk Contest: Players Are Afraid to 'Get Turned into a Meme'

After finishing second in the Dunk Contest to Mac McClung on Saturday, Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown gave his thoughts on the modern-day dunk contest.

Per Forbes Sports' Shane Young, Brown thinks players worry about how their performances will perceived on social media. On Saturday, Brown wanted to get creative with his dunks and have some fun.

"I think, ultimately, in this media era, some players are just afraid to get turned into a meme or whatever," Brown said. "I wanted to come out and have fun within it and that's what I did."

Brown certainly got creative with his dunks, honoring former Dunk Contest winners Dominque Wilkins and Dee Brown, who also played for the Celtics, as well as the late Terrence Clarke, who passed away in 2021 ahead of the NBA Draft.

Brown had fun with his final dunk, putting a glove on his left hand in Michael Jackson fashion. The glove on his left hand also could have been a response to critics who argue the Celtics star can't handle the ball with his left hand.

Brown's dunks weren't met with the positive reception he likely would have hoped for—he received boos from the crowd after his scores were given and didn't get much praise on social media—but he was looking to have fun, and he definitely did that.

Now Brown will focus on bigger goals than a Dunk Contest victory. After playing in Sunday's All-Star Game, he will look to finish out the season strong with the Celtics, who sit in first place in the Eastern Conference and are gearing up for a potential NBA Finals run.