For a contest that has been part of the NBA All-Star Week goings-on for nearly 30 years, you’d think there would have been more Boston Celtics participants than four by 2024, and with Jaylen Brown entering this year’s, there will soon be five. But it has been one aspect of the official All-Star events where the Celtics have been chronically under-represented.
But despite the paucity of Celtic participants over the years, there have been some pretty spectacular flushes across the decades, some of them sharing not only the uniform of Brown, but even the same last name on the jersey.
Let’s take a look at the dunkers, dunks, and how they did.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown to both participate in All-Star 3-Point contest https://t.co/2VU5lkQPBw
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) March 3, 2021
Gerald Green (2007)
Green was the most recent Celtic to participate in the NBA’s dunk contest, and only the second to win it.
The Bostonian dunk machine would best Celtics alumnus and three-time champion of the even Nate Robinson (then a New York Knick) 91 to 80.
Ricky Davis (2004)
The Iowa product did his best to represent the Celtics, but came in fourth after several flubs, Indiana Pacer Fred Jones the overall winner.
Greg Minor (1996)
The former Louisville Cardinal was the representative for Boston in this contest, and came in third.
The Los Angeles Clippers’ Brent Barry would win the contest in 1996.
Dee Brown (1999)
Brown’s famous no-look dunk and Reebok pump dunks were not just the base of the first win of the contest by a Celtic, but the first time a Celtic took part in it.
While perhaps a little dry compared to what we see today, the creative dunk helped set all the flashier attempts since in motion.
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