NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2018 – NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, 2016 runner-up Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic and first-time participants Larry Nance Jr. of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dennis Smith Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks will display their aerial creativity in the 2018 Verizon Slam Dunk on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Here is a look at the four participants for the 2018 Verizon Slam Dunk:
Victor Oladipo, Pacers: A first-time All-Star this season, Oladipo ranks 13th in the NBA in scoring (career-high 23.9 ppg) while shooting career highs of 48.8 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range. This is his second Verizon Slam Dunk appearance, having finished second to Zach LaVine in 2015. At the inaugural NBA Awards last June, Oladipo won the fan-voted Dunk of the Year for the 2016-17 season. The 6-4 guard is seeking to become the second consecutive Pacer to win the event; Indiana’s Glenn Robinson III, the 2017 champion, is working his way back from ankle surgery.
Aaron Gordon, Magic: This marks the third consecutive Slam Dunk appearance for Gordon, whose runner-up finish to LaVine in 2016 included three straight perfect scores of 50. In his fourth season, the 6-9 forward is averaging career highs of 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds. He has already set a career high for three-pointers made in a season with 79. Gordon has scored at least 40 points in a game twice this season – the first Magic player to do so since Dwight Howard in the 2010-11 season.
Larry Nance Jr., Lakers: The 6-9 forward is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Larry Nance, who won the inaugural Verizon Slam Dunk in 1984 by defeating Julius Erving in the final round. Nance Jr. is posting career highs in scoring (8.8 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (60.3) in his third season. He was a finalist for Dunk of the Year last season. Competing at his home arena, Nance is seeking to become the Lakers’ first Slam Dunk winner since Kobe Bryant in 1997.
Dennis Smith Jr., Mavericks: Renowned for his vertical leap, Smith ranks fifth among rookies in scoring (14.8 ppg) and fourth in assists (4.8 apg). The 6-3 guard registered his first triple-double on Dec. 29 against the New Orleans Pelicans, joining Jason Kidd (1994-95) as the only Dallas rookies with a triple-double. Smith, the ninth pick in NBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm, will compete for the U.S. Team in Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 16 during NBA All-Star 2018.
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Defending champion Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets and 2016 winner Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors will showcase their shooting skills in the 2018 JBL Three-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Thompson is one of four 2018 NBA All-Stars in the competition, along with the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George and the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry. The eight-player field also features the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, the Miami Heat’s Wayne Ellington and the LA Clippers’ Tobias Harris.
2018 JBL Three-Point Contest Participants
- Bradley Beal, Wizards: A first-time All-Star in his sixth season, Beal is 14th in the NBA in three-pointers made (123) after finishing seventh in that category last season (223). He also ranks 14th in scoring average with a career-high 23.8 points per game.
- Devin Booker, Suns: Booker reached the final round of the 2016 JBL Three-Point Contest as a rookie. This season, the NBA’s 12th-leading scorer (24.4 ppg) is making 2.6 three-pointers per game and shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc, both the best of his three-year career.
- Wayne Ellington, Heat: In his ninth season, Ellington ranks fourth in the NBA in three-pointers made with a career-high 153. He is averaging a career-high 11.2 points.
- Paul George, Thunder: The five-time All-Star (21.3 ppg) is shooting a career-high 42.3 percent from three-point range and ranks fifth in the NBA in three-pointers made with 150. George connected on a record nine three-pointers and scored 41 points in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.
- Eric Gordon, Rockets: Gordon won the 2017 JBL Three-Point Contest in his competition debut, edging Kyrie Irving in a tiebreaker after they posted the same score in the final round. The 2016-17 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award winner, Gordon has made the sixth-most three-pointers in the NBA this season (146) while averaging 19.1 points.
- Tobias Harris, Clippers: The seven-year veteran has already surpassed his career high for three-pointers in a season, sinking 113 at a career-high 40.9 percent clip. Harris, who was acquired by the Clippers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 29, is averaging a career-high 18.1 points.
- Kyle Lowry, Raptors: Lowry is set for his fourth straight NBA All-Star Game and third consecutive appearance in the Three-Point Contest. In addition to having the eighth-most three-pointers in the NBA (133), Lowry is one of four players averaging at least 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists (LeBron James, Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook).
- Klay Thompson, Warriors: The 2016 Three-Point Contest champion will appear in this event and the NBA All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive year. Thompson (20.3 ppg) leads the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (45.4) and ranks second in threes made (164).
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Defending champion and 2018 NBA All-Star Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks and All-Stars Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics will compete in the 2018 Taco Bell® Skills Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Joining the three All-Star big men in the eight-player field are guard Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets, forward Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls, guard Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, guard Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets and guard Lou Williams of the LA Clippers.
2018 Taco Bell Skills Challenge Participants
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets: The 6-6 guard is averaging career highs of 13.4 points and 6.4 assists in his fourth season. He has hit 96 three-pointers in 51 games; he entered the season with 51 three-pointers in 105 games.
- Joel Embiid, 76ers: A first-time All-Star in his second season, Embiid is averaging 23.8 points (15th in the NBA), 11.0 rebounds (sixth), 3.3 assists and 1.82 blocked shots (fourth). The 7-footer from Cameroon is set to start the 2018 NBA All-Star Game and appear for the World Team in the 2018 Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars.
- Al Horford, Celtics: An All-Star for the fifth time, Horford is one of three players averaging at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and one blocked shot (DeMarcus Cousins and LeBron James).
- Lauri Markkanen, Bulls: Markkanen (15.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg) is the fastest player to 100 career three-pointers in NBA history (41 games). The 7-footer from Finland will join Embiid on the World Team for Rising Stars.
- Donovan Mitchell, Jazz: The Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December and January is averaging a team-high and rookie-best 19.3 points this season. Utah has never had a rookie lead the team in scoring for a season. Mitchell is part of the U.S. Team for Rising Stars.
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets: The 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection has increased his scoring average to 16.2 points (up from 9.9 ppg) in his second season. Murray, a 6-4 guard from Canada, was the MVP of the 2017 Rising Stars and will compete for the World Team again this year.
- Kristaps Porzingis, Knicks: Porzingis (23.1 ppg) will make his All-Star debut in his third season. The 7-3 forward/center leads the NBA in blocks (2.33 bpg) and is shooting a career-high 39.8 percent from three-point range.
- Lou Williams, Clippers: Williams has earned two Western Conference Player of the Week awards in 2017-18 while averaging a career-high 23.5 points in his 13th season. The 2014-15 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award winner scored a career-high 50 points against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 10.
