It’s no secret that the Lakers organization has been pushing the NBA to include Shannon Brown in the dunk competition. There’s a youtube channel, a website (letshannondunk.com), and constant mentions of it by the Lakers play-by-play announcers during games. The Lakers website has links to the drive, and if you’ve watched a Laker game in the past month or so you couldn’t have missed it.
With all of that drive, it’s no surprise now that the NBA has included “UPS” in the contest (there are quite a few nicknames being thrown around, so I chose my favorite).
What isn’t being talked about as much, however, is the fact that Shannon Brown has developed into not just a high-fly act, but an aggressive defender and effective outside shooter. A USA Today article recently highlighted the fact that Brown has thrived in Los Angeles after being quickly dealt away by three previous teams. The Lakers have seemingly tapped into a gold mine of talent that was vastly underutilized by his previous employers.
Proof? Just look at his game against the defending east coast champions from last night:
22 minutes
8-12 FG
22 points
2 steals
All that and not one dunk the entire night.
We love when you dunk, Shannon, but you should know that you’re appreciated for the rest of your game, too.