Zach LaVine's unforgettable dunk contest puts him among greats
Zach LaVine put on a show to remember, and he was pushed by a worthy challenger.
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4 min read
TORONTO -- You will not forget the 2016 NBA Slam Dunk contest. It’ll be up there with Vince in 2000, M.J. vs. ‘Nique in 1988. If you were in the arena, you felt the anticipation when Zach LaVine ran onto the court to Drake’s Back to Back, then dapped up the Toronto Raptors global ambassador after greeting Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. You felt the buzz building after Aaron Gordon's second dunk, when the Orlando Magic forward jumped over a 6-foot-something dragon mascot on a hoverboard, went between his legs and dunked it with two hands, then pointed to the sky like V.C. did.
If you were not at the Air Canada Centre, you knew you were witnessing history when LaVine and Gordon traded six 50s in a row. You will remember where you watched it.
When it was over, LaVine had to talk about it. Standing on a podium, his eyes widened. “I don’t know what we just did,” he said. He then suggested that he and Gordon share the trophy.
Here’s what he just did: A between-the-legs dunk from the free throw line. He looked like the most aerodynamic man on Earth.
Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton suggested it to LaVine. He had not tried it before. (Barton, by the way, was also in the dunk contest, and this fact will be forgotten like Larry Hughes dunking in 2000.) So there he went, taking off from 15 feet away for the third time Saturday, bringing the ball up with his right hand, switching it to his left, going through his legs and finishing like he had done it thousands of times before.
“I just tried it,” LaVine said.
“That is insane,” Gordon said. “Off that dunk, you’ve got to give it to him. That’s why the trophy’s with him and not with me.”
LaVine and Gordon were the only people alive who wanted the contest to end. It took two extra rounds to break the tie. After the first four 50s, LaVine went over to talk to teammate Andre Miller, who he had enlisted to help him. Gordon chatted to teammate Elfrid Payton, who wasn’t supposed to be involved.
Gordon decided to do a twisting, reverse two hander off the side of the backboard, courtesy of Payton. LaVine went off the bounce from behind the basket, grabbed it with his left hand, went under his legs and reversed it home. Everyone in the building was standing, including the judges, who were talking to LaVine. Gordon just wandered around near halfcourt, wishing he had prepared for this possibility.
“We would have been here dunking all night, going back 50 after 50 after 50 after 50,” Gordon said.
Next, Gordon tried throwing the ball off the shot clock. He’d never attempted that before, and he didn’t get the right bounce. His teammates sitting courtside had seen him do a behind-the-head, double-pump reverse before, and they told him to do that. He did it, it was incredible, it got a 47. Then LaVine did his between-the-legs from the foul line and hugged Gordon while MVP Stephen Curry hit the ball in the air.
“We were looking in our bag of tricks,” LaVine said. “Ain't nothing left. I just found a little piece of dust.”
Gordon said it was too soon to appreciate that he was just a part of NBA history. He’d dreamed all his life of being in the dunk contest and he felt the nerves out there, even if he didn’t show it.
“I’m going to have to watch it again,” he said. “When I'm out there you feel a little bit of nerves just because all your friends at home are watching, you know the crowd is hyped. You've got an incredible panel of judges that you looked up to, like Magic Johnson was my childhood hero and he was judging me. So I definitely appreciate the moment and the best way that I can appreciate that moment is taking it all in and being extremely present.”
A reporter asked Gordon when he was going to watch it. “Shoot, as soon as I can,” he said. “I don’t know. Has anybody got the film?”
Before LaVine’s victory, it looked like it would be a night of upsets. Towns, a 7-footer, won the skills challenge. Stephen Curry was the runner-up to his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, in the 3-point contest. Another champion, Draymond Green, somehow failed to beat Kevin Hart in another 3-point competition -- yes, it was a tie and yes, it really happened.
In the end, though, LaVine showed why he was the heavy favorite and is arguably the best dunker of all time. With two straight years of this, it would never be wise to bet against him.
LaVine said he wasn’t channeling Dr. J, M.J. or V.C. with that last dunk, but you could see all of them in it. He has studied the great dunkers, and he’s capable of things they couldn’t have even imagined. He doesn’t want to get into a debate about where this contest stacks up, but he’s comfortable giving his opinion.
“I think it was the best one ever,” LaVine said.
