Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown made a detour from the hardwood to Hollywood on Monday, joining a ceremony that added Bill Nye’s name to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The star unveiling honored Nye’s decades-long career as a popular science educator, most notably through his 1990s television program “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Although the show ended its syndicated run at the close of that decade, its classroom reruns continued to inspire students—including Brown—for years afterward.
During the ceremony, Brown credited the TV host with sparking his enduring curiosity about science. “My love for science runs deep, and I have Bill to thank for that,” the 28-year-old guard said. “But not just for myself, [but] for a generation of students who grew up in the public school system possibly thinking that school was not for them.”
Brown joked that every time “that TV rolled out on the trolley” at school, students knew they were in for an engaging lesson from Nye. The mutual admiration between the two public figures has been visible since November, when Brown tweeted his desire to meet the science icon. They met weeks later in the tunnel following a Celtics–Washington Wizards game, and Nye later attended the February launch of Brown’s “White Noise” sneakers in Boston.
Beyond basketball, Brown has pursued several academic interests. He became a Media Lab Director’s Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019 and continues to promote STEM education.
The Celtics open the 2025 NBA regular season on Oct. 22 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Source: ESPN
