Report: Jaylen Brown declined Slam Dunk Contest invitation

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes, Jaylen Brown declined an invitation to this weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest. The league had reached out to its young stars to participate, but like Brown, several players declined like fellow All-Star Zion Williamson, the Hornets’ Miles Bridges and #1 pick Anthony Edwards out of Minnesota.

Instead, the field will consist of fairly unknown talents and rookies like the Knicks’ Obi Toppin, the Pacers’ Cassius Stanley, and the Trail Blazers Anfernee Simons. All the All-Star Weekend festivities will happen on the same day with the Slam Dunk Contest as the halftime showcase. The Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will occur prior to the game.

Brown who missed Sunday’s game with knee soreness and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Clippers is still planning on representing the Eastern Conference as a reserve. With Kevin Durant out through the weekend, Jayson Tatum has been elevated from reserve status and will be a starter on Sunday. The teams will be selected by team captains Durant and LeBron James on Thursday.

It’s unclear if this dunk will have any effect on Brown’s selection for Team LeBron.