Jaylen Brown officially participating in NBA Slam Dunk Contest

BOSTON -- It's official. Jaylen Brown will be participating in the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend.

What had been rumored earlier in the week was confirmed on Thursday, when the NBA announced that the Celtics' All-Star is among the group of four participants in this year's dunk contest.

Brown will be going up against reigning champ Mac McClung, as well as Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jacob Toppin.

The contest will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17, as the final event of the night. It will take place after the Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-point challenge, an event which will follow the regular 3-point contest.

Brown, 27, will be playing in his third All-Star Game on Sunday, but opted to participate in the event on Saturday evening first. That's a choice that many All-Stars haven't made in recent years, but Brown is bucking that trend.

In doing so, Brown will be adding some much-needed star power to the event, as McClung and Toppin primarily play in the G League, while Jaquez is the fourth-leading scorer on the Heat.

Brown will become the fifth Celtics player to participate in the dunk contest, joining Dee Brown, Greg Minor, Ricky Davis and Gerald Green, who was the last Celtics player to compete in the event back in 2007.

On Sunday, Brown will be teaming up with Jayson Tatum to compete for the East in the All-Star Game. Last year, the two authored a memorable moment when they went up against each other on opposing teams. With the game format switching back to East vs. West this year, Brown is hoping to create a new All-Star memory a night before the game itself.