This is my favorite NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest.
Everyone came to the Slam Dunk Contest with little expectation of it becoming this good. Zach LaVine is a rising star and the same can be said for Andre Drummond. With that said, Aaron Gordon at this point is a hit-or-miss player. Selected fourth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, it feels as if Orlando bungled big when they chose the Arizona Wildcat over Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Jusuf Nurkic, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jerami Grant, and Jordan Clarkson...
... Zach LaVine...
... and yeah, Nikola Jokic is a second-rounder... which sucks for each and every team not named the Denver Nuggets.
Scratch this. The verdict is still out for Aaron Gordon's career. I mean, Jokic is a two-time MVP now. However, Gordon became serviceable, and because of his performance in the 2016 Slam Dunk contest, his stock rose.
For starters, this is a modern-day slam dunk contest wherein talent trumps creativity. Wait. There are TIMES when there is creativity... but this is also the time when it's cheesy as hell. Lest we forget that prior to his amazing dunks, Gordon came out dressed like the Nickelodeon frog.
Also, no one thought this would be an epic contest. I mean, back in the day, Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins prepared for their showdowns. In the 90s, players like Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Michael Finley, Tracy McGrady, and Shawn Kemp used the contest to take their superstar name to the next level. Nowadays, guys like LeBron James shrug the contest off.
In some ways, this is one of the reasons why we don't think of LBJ as much as Jordan and Kobe because in a way, joining the contest is like giving the fans what they want. The last certified top star who participated in the contest was Blake Griffin.
Can someone tell Ja Morant to suit up next year?
Anyway, the duel between LaVine and Gordon is one of the best all-star showdowns in the event's history.
And it also places Gordon in a different light.
Sure, he's also the biggest loser in all-star history (he should have won his second try) but this is a good thing because it also means how everyone went from cheering on a Lavine back-to-back to hating the notion of Gordon not winning (or at least tying) the Slam Dunk contest.