Person of Interest

Daylon Trotman
Dance Machine

When the Celtics play at TD Banknorth Garden, there are two competitions afoot: the obvious one on the court, and then the one in the stands, where fans vie to be immortalized on the JumboTron during breaks in the action. Fat men jellyroll, pretty ladies preen, and geezers pound their chests like KG—solely for the attention of the camera. But they all inevitably find themselves outshined by Daylon, a seven-year-old with exuberant dance moves and a toothy grin that seems to say, "Yes, I am that adorable."

Daylon's performances started two seasons ago, after his mother, Dana Clarke, picked up a partial season-ticket package, and have since made him the arena's most popular big-screen regular (at least among the living—R.I.P., Gino). He now routinely fields requests for pictures, even from Celtics players. "It makes me feel excited when the fans cheer for me," he says. "I feel it in my heart. I want to dance more and make them happy." 

 

Celtics fans were the first in the NBA to mug for a high-def scoreboard, which the Garden installed in 2006 as part of a $6 million A/V upgrade. - Photo by John Huet.