By Josh Cohen Feb. 17, 2017
NEW ORLEANS – It's not possible for the 2017 Verizon Slam Dunk Contest to be more entertaining and mesmerizing than the 2016 version, right?
Well, if you ask Aaron Gordon, you may be very surprised by what you see Saturday night.
While he won't tell you what he has in store or how creative he plans to be, Gordon has every intention of being even more ground-breaking.
“It's going to be innovative, it's going to be technologically-oriented and it's going to be original and creative,” Gordon said. “You'll see Saturday night.”
No, Zach LaVine will not be participating this year. So, we won't get a chance to see the rematch between he and Gordon. However, this year's competitors, Indiana's Glenn Robinson III, Phoenix's Derrick Jones Jr. and the Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan, could prove to be worthy opponents.
Gordon confirmed what we pretty much all knew during his media availability in New Orleans on Friday. LaVine and him put on arguably the greatest show in slam dunk contest history. He says it ranked right up there with Vince Carter's dazzling display in 2000.
How cool and inspiring would it be, though, if somehow, someway that epic performance was just Part I?
Unlike last year when very few realized what Gordon was capable of, expectations are much higher. He is widely considered the favorite to win. However, that isn't a distraction for him. If anything, it's giving him more motivation.
“To be able to one up myself, that's what I am looking to do,” he said. “I'm not looking to play it safe or maintain. I'm looking to excite and get a whole bunch of 10's on my dunks. It would be nice to come back for a second straight year and show people I have more.”
Gordon also spent a portion of Friday at an NBA Cares All-Star community event. He helped build a better playground outside a local elementary school.
