Boston Celtics shooting guard and All-Star Jaylen Brown suffered a facial fracture after taking an inadvertent Jayson Tatum elbow to the face recently. He had not stepped onto the court and played since, with no specific timetable for his return announced.
Well, if Sunday is any indication, that is going to be very soon. During the first half of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, Brown not only played, but has been very aggressive. Following a LeBron James block, Brown pulled up from near half court and drained a triple.
JAYLEN BROWN FROM THE LOGO!!
pic.twitter.com/irobVXTQp1— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) February 20, 2023
At halftime, Jaylen Brown has 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting in 10 minutes of action. That leads all of Team LeBron's reserves in scoring. Of course, he is wearing the mask typically worn by those with facial injuries, but his is black and very stylish.
Article Continues BelowPrior to the game, James and fellow All-Star Game captain Giannis Antetokounmpo chose their teams, gym class style, live on television. Giannis hilariously tried choosing Ja Morant to his reserves, despite being off the table after being named a starter already.
Brown's Celtics teammate, Jayson Tatum, is on the opposite side of the game. Tatum leads Team Giannis at the break with 17 points. At one point, he and LeBron were going back and forth with highlight level plays.
Team LeBron is led by Kyrie Irving's 19 points, despite the rather poor reception the newest Mavs point guard received during introductions. Videos of Irving getting booed went viral online. But to no one's surprise, that appears to have only motivated the enigmatic point guard.