Yelich makes most of NBA Slam Dunk Contest

PHOENIX -- Lorenzo Cain is famously allergic to social media, so he was last to know that Christian Yelich had detoured to Chicago for the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest before reporting to Spring Training.

“We don’t need him dunking,” Cain said, shaking his head. “We need him hitting baseballs. So we need to find a way to cancel this event.”

Relax, Cain was told, there would be no dunking.

At least, no dunking for Yelich.

Instead, the Brewers' star outfielder was an invited guest of Milwaukee Bucks guard (and former Baltimore Orioles Minor Leaguer) Pat Connaughton. It was Connaughton who competed in the event, employing Yelich on a first-round dunk and the NBA's reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in the second round.

The Connaughton-Yelich combo earned a score of 45, rankling some fans at the United Center. They booed the modest score after Connaughton, clad in homage to the film "White Men Can’t Jump," leaped over Yelich to execute his first dunk on the first try.

"It was a great night,” Yelich said Sunday morning upon reporting to Brewers camp. “I really enjoyed it. Pat did a great job, and I'm thankful that he invited me and let me be a part of it. I thought he deserved a little higher of a score there on that first dunk, but he still put on a heck of a show and did a great job.”

Yelich shared some details about what the duo had in mind had Connaughton advanced. It would have involved Yelich flipping a baseball to Connaughton, who planned to catch it in a glove on one hand while executing a 360-degree dunk with his other hand. It looked great in practice, Yelich said.

“It was different experiencing their All-Star weekend,” Yelich said. “It's similar, but it's different at the same time. It was kind of cool just kind of observing it. I guess that night is comparable to the Home Run Derby in baseball. There's a lot of energy. Everybody seemed to be having a great time. It was one of those things I did because it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience; when else would I be able to take part in a dunk contest?”

Consider it the latest example of Wisconsin’s cross-sport support -- Connaughton is one of the Bucks players who frequents Miller Park, and Yelich is not only a regular at Fiserv Forum, but has a budding friendship with Antetokounmpo. It was also another example of Yelich’s recent habit of saying yes to unique opportunities afforded a player who has finished first and second in the National League MVP Award race the past two years.

Yelich has made it apparent that he wants to be more than just a baseball player. He’s embraced the celebrity that comes along with success and has tried to channel it in positive directions, from inviting Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to Brewers camp last spring, to guest starring in an episode of the CBS reboot of “Magnum, P.I.,” to taking part in a pair of MLB commercials last year (including one with the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, who edged Yelich in 2019 National League MVP Award balloting and has also become a friend), to posing nude for ESPN’s Body Issue and using the occasion to talk about being comfortable in one’s skin.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Yelich visited MLB’s marketing department when he was in New York to accept the 2018 NL MVP Award and expressed an interest in helping the league grow the game.

“You have to have a willingness to put yourself out there,” Yelich told the newspaper. “Do you want to go do this commercial shoot for six hours? Or do you want to go on vacation with your buddies?”

On Sunday, he added, “My view on it has always been if it doesn't take you away from baseball or your ability to prepare -- I like to keep my same routine, I take pride in that -- I don't see anything wrong with expanding your horizons a little bit and doing some different things. [The dunk contest] was one of them. That's part of my decision-making process. And if it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you have to do it. This falls under all those categories, and I'm really glad I did it.”

Many of the Brewers were watching.

“I love seeing Christian doing stuff. I really do,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I look forward to seeing him do this stuff. I thought it was on [Friday] night and disappointed when it wasn't. I love seeing Christian out there.

“He just has such a great perspective on all of it and he's a great choice to do all of this. There's no better choice in my eyes. Every time I hear about the cool things he's doing, I can't wait to see them. Christian probably gets a lot of offers to do a lot of things and he gets to pick what appeals to him. That's the good life.”

It’s not the life for everyone. Take Cain, who prefers to do his work and then head home to spend time with his three kids. He has zero social media followers because he doesn’t use social media. Yelich has more than 582,000 followers on an Instagram filled with images of his adventures.

“Yeli’s a stud, man,” Cain said. “He’ll show up and he’s going to hit. That’s what he does. I’m sure he’s getting a lot of things thrown at him right now. You win an MVP and are runner-up last year … the guy’s unbelievable. He’s amazing.”

“As a baseball player alone,” added Brewers relief ace Josh Hader, “he’s the best of the best. The way he handles himself [off the field], it shows the kind of person he is. If any guy can do that, it’s him.”

Now it’s time for baseball. Yelich was sidelined for the final three weeks of the '19 season after suffering a fractured right kneecap on a foul ball, but he reported to Spring Training with no restrictions. Like with many of their established players, the Brewers won’t push Yelich too fast; Counsell said he won’t see action until the second week or so of Cactus League games.

“I feel like this is a regular Spring Training for me,” Yelich said. “I feel fine. Just walking in here normal was really cool.”