Jan. 19, 2026, 10:50 a.m. ET
If you have noticed a little more precision in the footwork of star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown lately, it is no coincidence. The Georgia native has been putting in work behind the scenes in his usual unorthodox ways to improve his play on the court with some of the choices he makes off of it, though in this case we cannot credit underwater pool workouts for Brown’s tightened footwork.
The Cal alum opened up about what he has been doing to limber up those legs in his down time on a recent episode of his streaming show, posted to his personal official YouTube channel this week. Brown has been working with Raul Santiago of Soho Studios to improve his footwork in a very non-basketball sense. “Quietly behind the scenes, I’ve been working on my salsa (dancing), and it’s actually the secret ingredient, I think, to why I’m having the year that I’m having,” said Brown in the video.
“Because I’ve been working on my footwork and my balance, and—and salsa’s like helped me tremendously,” added the Celtics star.
“So we’ve been—I’ve already done a couple of sessions this summer, I’ve already been working on it,” said Brown of his progress in the fine art of salsa dancing. “I’ve already done a couple of sessions this summer, I’ve already been working on it.”
And it has more benefits than improved play on the parquet, per Brown, as well; “So one of the things that I like to do to warm up my space — put on some salsa music, dance. It helps with your mental health and things like that.”
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