Jaylen Brown Terrence Clarke: What Is The Relationship Between The Two And Why Did The Celtics Star Wear His Jersey At The Slam Dunk Contest?

The 2024 Dunk Contest wasn’t as exciting as the previous editions of the event. The dunks weren’t as entertaining and the contest only witnessed 1 50-point dunk. Irrespective of it being lackluster, there was one particular wholesome moment that left basketball enthusiasts in awe. During the final round, Jaylen Brown paid tribute to Terrence Clarke. The dunk has gotten fans to wonder if they are related.

Jaylen Brown began his final round with a dunk dedicated to Terrence Clarke. Just before his dunk attempt, the All-Star took off his Boston Celtics jersey and put on Clarke’s Brewster (the high school he played for) jersey. Not only did fans commend Brown for the tribute, but the judges also rewarded him with a 48.6 score for the acrobatic slam.

Terrence Clarke was a talented youngster who was set to be picked in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, the Kentucky basketball player passed away in a tragic car accident in April 2021.

Jaylen Brown and Terrence Clarke are not related to each other. However, the latter was mentored by Brown throughout his career.

Jaylen Brown considered Terrence Clarke to be his “lil bro”

The NBA had a sweet gesture planned for Terrence Clarke in the 2021 draft. Between the 14^th and the 15^th pick, where Clarke was projected to be picked, Adam Silver announced a ceremonial pick.

Jaylen Brown played a huge role in the same. In one of his tweets, the Celtics guard urged Adam Silver to make the ceremonial pick.

Apart from referring to Clarke as his “lil bro” in the tweet, Brown also stated that the youngster was like a brother that he never had. In the same interview, the swingman disclosed how close he was with the Kentucky alum and how the two shared a wholesome relationship.

“Terrence was the little brother I never had. Always at my house, going through my closet, playing video games. I’m like, ‘Don’t you got school? What are you doing?’ He was just always hanging out,” Brown told The Athletic.

A year later, Brown also honored the life of his mentee as his apparel brand – 7uice – released a limited edition t-shirt remembering Clarke.

It’s heartwarming to see how JB continues to shed light on Terrence Clarke’s name. And by tributing a dunk in his first-ever dunk contest to the youngster, he displayed his love for Clarke.