Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Tom Dierberger

Jaylen Brown Clarifies What His Dunk Over Kai Cenat Was Supposed to Look Like

Despite finishing runner-up to defending champion Mac McClung in the 2024 NBA Dunk Contest, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown received plenty of criticism for the difficulty level of his dunks.

On Thursday, Brown posted practice footage of his no-look dunk attempt that was supposed to pay homage to former Celtics guard Dee Brown, who threw down a similar no-look slam in the 1991 NBA Dunk Contest.

In the practice video, Brown jumps over a person sitting in a chair, which was popular online streamer Kai Cenat during the contest. He then catches a lob, covers his eyes with his arm and throws down a one-handed dunk.

That’s not quite how it went down at the dunk contest.

During the annual NBA event, Brown had Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum lob a pass above Cenat’s head, but they didn't connect on the first attempt. 

On the second attempt, Brown caught the ball in mid-air but didn’t close his eyes until after he threw down the dunk. 

The practice footage definitely clears up what Brown was attempting to pull off Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Will Brown consider participating in the dunk contest again?

“If they ask me and nobody else cares to do it, f--- it, I’ll do it again,” Brown said Thursday, via The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.

Maybe there’s a chance for redemption.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.