Zach LaVine made a name for himself in a dunk contest that lacked star punch.
Lavine put on a spectacular aerial display to take home the dunk competition during All-Star Saturday night.
It was a rare year when the 3-point competitionhad as much -- if not more -- intrigue heading into it than the dunk contest because of the notable names who were -- and weren't -- participating in each.
But LaVine left a lasting impression few will forget.
The 19-year-old Timberwolves rookie scored a perfect 100 in the opening round. He highlighted his scintillating start with a through-the-legs, one-handed reverse slam. He wore a white No. 23 Jordan jersey for what he dubbed the "Spash Jam" dunk.
On his second dunk of the first round, he tossed the ball up, put it behind his back in the air and threw down a powerful one-handed slam for another 50 from the Hall of Fame judges -- Julius Erving, Walt Frazier, Nate Archibald, Bernard King and Chris Mullin.
LaVine had a final round of 94 to overtake Orlando's Victor Oladipo, who struggled to convert his first attempt in the final and finished with a 72 in the championship round. He became the first Timberwolves player to win the dunk contest sinceIsaiah Rider in 1994. He also became the first player with multiple individual dunks with perfect scores in the same contest since Dwight Howard in 2009.
"I'm still on cloud nine. I feel like I'm dreaming,'' LaVine said. "Seeing all the dunk contests and people hoisting the trophy, I just saw myself do it and lived it, so it's a dream come true. I'm glad my family is here to witness it and go through it.''
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka The Greek Freak, and Brooklyn's Mason Plumlee didn't advance past the opening round.
Oladipo, the smallest in the competition at 6-foot-4, still delivered a crowd-pleasing moment.
He missed his first two attempts in the first round before completing a 360-degree reverse dunk. He received a 50 from the judges.
Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash won their third straight Shooting Stars competition earlier. Houston's Patrick Beverley won the skills competition.
Wilkins, the 55-year-old former Atlanta Hawks star, hit a half-court shot after 57.6 seconds in the final round to seal Team Bosh's three-peat. They topped Russell Westbrook, Anfernee Hardaway and Tamika Catchings in the final round, when Team Westbrook ran out of time after 90 seconds.
Beverley came from behind to beat Brandon Knight of theMilwaukee Bucks in the final round of the skills competition. The Rockets' defensive specialist, who replaced Washington's John Wall in the dribbling, passing and shooting competition, made a 3-pointer to clinch the win.
It was a rare year when the 3-point competitionhad as much -- if not more -- intrigue heading into it than the dunk contest because of the notable names who were -- and weren't -- participating in each.
But LaVine left a lasting impression few will forget.
The 19-year-old Timberwolves rookie scored a perfect 100 in the opening round. He highlighted his scintillating start with a through-the-legs, one-handed reverse slam. He wore a white No. 23 Jordan jersey for what he dubbed the "Spash Jam" dunk.
On his second dunk of the first round, he tossed the ball up, put it behind his back in the air and threw down a powerful one-handed slam for another 50 from the Hall of Fame judges -- Julius Erving, Walt Frazier, Nate Archibald, Bernard King and Chris Mullin.
LaVine had a final round of 94 to overtake Orlando's Victor Oladipo, who struggled to convert his first attempt in the final and finished with a 72 in the championship round. He became the first Timberwolves player to win the dunk contest sinceIsaiah Rider in 1994. He also became the first player with multiple individual dunks with perfect scores in the same contest since Dwight Howard in 2009.
"I'm still on cloud nine. I feel like I'm dreaming,'' LaVine said. "Seeing all the dunk contests and people hoisting the trophy, I just saw myself do it and lived it, so it's a dream come true. I'm glad my family is here to witness it and go through it.''
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka The Greek Freak, and Brooklyn's Mason Plumlee didn't advance past the opening round.
Oladipo, the smallest in the competition at 6-foot-4, still delivered a crowd-pleasing moment.
He missed his first two attempts in the first round before completing a 360-degree reverse dunk. He received a 50 from the judges.
Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash won their third straight Shooting Stars competition earlier. Houston's Patrick Beverley won the skills competition.
Wilkins, the 55-year-old former Atlanta Hawks star, hit a half-court shot after 57.6 seconds in the final round to seal Team Bosh's three-peat. They topped Russell Westbrook, Anfernee Hardaway and Tamika Catchings in the final round, when Team Westbrook ran out of time after 90 seconds.
Beverley came from behind to beat Brandon Knight of theMilwaukee Bucks in the final round of the skills competition. The Rockets' defensive specialist, who replaced Washington's John Wall in the dribbling, passing and shooting competition, made a 3-pointer to clinch the win.
source: espn.com
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