One of the highlights of All-Star weekend is the Slam Dunk Competition, and this year’s contest was certainly entertaining. If you missed the festivities, here’s everything you need to know.
The Competitors:
- Aaron Gordon – was the odds on favorite to win. The only question was whether any of his rivals could elevate the competition to the same level as Gordon did for LaVine last year.
- Glenn Robinson III The Pacers guard is the son of former NBA great Glenn Robinson. He was definitely the underdog in the field.
- Derrick Jones Jr. has the distinction of playing only 11 minutes in total for the Suns varsity team. But the youngster has hops and was estimated to present the biggest challenge for Gordon.
- DeAndre Jordan at 6’11 and 280 lbs, the Clippers’ Jordan represented the lone big man in the field. Of note: Jordan leads the league with 152 dunks this season.
The Judges:
- Gary Payton
- David Robinson
- Dominique Wilkins
- Alonzo Mourning
- Chris Webber
Round One
- DeAndre Jordan jumped over the DJ booth and DJ (who was taking a selfie at the time). Score: 41
- Glenn Robinson III jumped on top of someone – who was on top of someone else. Score: Perfect 50
- Derrick Jones, Jr took it up a notch by jumping over four men while a gorilla mascot sat nearby. His first attempt clipped a few people in the head, but his second attempt was better. Score: 45
- Aaron Gordon theatrically flew a remote-controlled Intel drone to a spot above the rim. He then proceeded to completely miss the shot. The drone was reloaded, and Gordon missed again. After the Drone was reloaded, Gordon missed… again. The drone was reloaded, and Gordon dunked. Finally. Score: 38
Round Two
- Aaron Gordon went for a between-the-legs dunk, and missed. Tried again, and missed. Third time’s a charm… except, it wasn’t. Fourth time, and another miss. Score: 34
- DeAndre Jordan tried to do a Gordon-like dunk, but missed. He slammed it on the second attempt. Score: 43
- Derrick Jones, Jr grabbed the ball from a bystander, tossed it around, and slammed it home. Score: Perfect 50
- Glenn Robinson III did what the judges called a “squeak dunk” by twirling around and attempting to dab after the windmill dunk. Score: 41
Final Round 1
- Glenn Robinson III attempted to jump over Paul George, but he missed the dunk. On the second attempt, he also missed. Robinson connected on the third attempt. Score: 44
- Derrick Jones, Jr brought out the Gorilla mascot, a Phoenix Suns dancer, and a tall bystander. The plan was to jump over all of them, throw the ball between his legs, and slam through the net. On the first and second attempt, he missed. For the third attempt, he asked the dancer to leave so he wouldn’t hit her (like a gentleman, the announcers suggested). He missed again, though, and that was that. Score: 37
Final Round 2
- Derrick Jones, Jr jumped from the free throw line, grabbed the ball from a bystander, and missed the dunk. On his second attempt, he threw it under his legs and slammed it home. Score: 50
- Glenn Robinson III lined up a Pacers dancer, the Pacers mascot, and Paul George. He cleared them all, flew past the basket, and slammed the ball backward on the first attempt. Score: 50
Glenn Robinson III took home the trophy, presented by Verizon representative Kristin Rooney.
Make sure to stay with Thunderous Intentions as our scribes keep you up to date on all the New Orleans NBA 2017 All-Star activities. And, remember to check with us tomorrow as Russell Westbrook looks to three-peat as All-Star Game MVP.