As expected, the NBA Slam Dunk contest proved to be entertaining to watch. Participants tried their best to make it as entertaining as possible. In the end, it all boiled down to two favorites to win the Slam Dunk Crown - Derrick Jones Jr. and Aaron Gordon.
Jones and Gordon did put on quite a show, and it was pretty tough to single out a winner. In fact, Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN said that one of the judges (Common) thought it would be a tie. Even making it more controversial is the fact that one of the judges allegedly did not do it right. The question, though, is who that judge was?
Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, Chadwick Bozeman, Scottie Pippen and Common were the ones tasked to score the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk contest. In that final round, Wade, Bozeman and Pippen gave Gordon a 9. Of the three however, Wade was being singled out mainly because Jones was his former teammate with the Miami Heat. The retired NBA star even went on to defend himself, diverting the issue to the fact that he was not the only one who gave the Orlando Magic star a 9 via Complex.com.
“I wasn’t the only one who gave him a 9, let’s talk about that!” @DwyaneWade responds to those saying he was biased as a judge in the Dunk Contest. @stance pic.twitter.com/FkBvJ6IWl7 — Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) February 16, 2020
In the eyes of most, Gordon made a better final dunk than Jones. However, NBC Sports pointed out how Jones dunked better throughout the contest. Do previous dunks count at all in the final dunk?
Gordon's final dunk included the special participation of an unknowing 7-foot-5 center Tacko Fall. Though the 24-year-old hardly got past Fall, it was still a completed dunk, although it ended up with Gordon technically piggy-back riding the Senegal cager. Now, NBA followers feel that judging is flawed and that the fourth pick of the 2014 NBA Draft got robbed...again!
Gordon took everything in stride and announced he was retiring from the Slam Dunk contest. The question now is on whether the 6-foot-8 did so because of being denied the trophy twice in a row. Would he have retired had he won?
The whole thing casts a dark cloud on the NBA Slam Dunk win of Jones. Not long after Gordon announced his retirement from the high-flying competition, the 6-foot-6 guard says he would be open to a rematch next year if Gordon ever changes his mind, Rachel Nichols of ESPN reported.
However, Jones may be thinking that this controversy is one and done. The NBA Slam Dunk contest has soured in the eyes of most. Next year, expect some jeering and people to pay closer attention to the judging. At any rate, the next judges will feel the heat from NBA fans in 2021.
