After a 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest that was arguably the best the league has ever seen, 2017’s iteration of the annual event was disappointing to say the least.
Zach LaVine was not there to defend his throne. Aaron Gordon, the presumptive favorite, was noticeably under-performing (perhaps due to an ailing leg injury). DeAndre Jordan, the star-name challenger, did not wow the crowd.
Suns’ rookie Derrick Jones, Jr. was the hyped up challenger, an unknown player in the NBA world with unbelievable hops. He was met in the Final round by Glenn Robinson III, the Pacers’ wing man and son of another former NBA player.
Both players had respectable efforts but neither brought the showmanship and flair that the dunk contest needs. Multiple missed dunks by every contestant let the air out of the building and made even some of the better dunks fall flatter than the Earth that Kyrie Irving calls home.
Nevertheless, there were a few memorable moments from the contest. Jordan dunked over DJ Khaled who was snapchatting the whole thing. Gordon grabbed a ball dropped by an Intel drone before going between the legs and dunking it home.
Jones had maybe the best dunk of the night, going between the legs after a pass off the side of the backboard. Glenn Robinson III kept dunking over people.
It was not even close to being the best dunk contest ever, but there were immensely too-high expectations before the event and there were still some moments to talk about.
