Jaylen Brown Thrilled by Encounter with Childhood Idol Bill Nye the Science Guy

On November 2, Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown expressed his desire to meet renowned science educator Bill Nye by posing a question on X (previously known as Twitter): “How can I meet Bill Nye the science guy .”

The opportunity for Brown to meet Bill Nye presented itself when the Celtics played against the Wizards in Washington on November 22, 2024. Bill Nye attended the game at the Capital One Arena, where the Celtics triumphed with a score of 108-96.

William Nye, better known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, gained fame as a mechanical engineer turned popular science communicator through his television program from 1993 to 1999, known for making science entertaining and accessible to schoolchildren.

Following their basketball game, Nye and Brown had a moment to interact in the arena’s tunnel:

Reflecting on the encounter, Brown shared, “I can’t remember what made me even tweet that. I was up thinking about the educational experience, and it just crossed my mind. I thought, ‘Man, I gotta meet this guy.’ His contributions to STEM and STEAM have been remarkable, and he made learning enjoyable. I used to get excited when our teacher said we were watching Bill Nye today.”

Interestingly, despite his achievements in basketball as a three-time All-Star and NBA champion, Brown was once considered “too smart” for the sport. Before the 2016 NBA draft, his intellect and diverse interests were thought to potentially detract from his athletic performance.

Now 28 years old, Brown’s impressive resume includes an internship offer from NASA, a fellowship at MIT, being the youngest person to lecture at Harvard, creating a STEM program for children in the Boston area, and learning of his record-breaking NBA contract during a robotics class in 2023.

“Being able to shake hands with Bill Nye for his role in my educational journey was pretty cool,” Brown commented.

On the night of their meeting, Brown led the Celtics with 31 points, making 11 of 27 shots.