In Saturday’s NBA Dunk Contest, Indiana Pacers guard Glenn Robinson III topped relative unknown Derrick Jones Jr. of the Phoenix Suns with several highlight reel dunks that got the New Orleans crowd on its feet, also beating Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon.
But all in all, fans were not impressed with Saturday’s competition, comparing it unfavorably to last year’s contest and complaining about the number of attempts every contestant needed to complete their dunks and the lack of creativity by Robinson and Jones.
What an awful dunk contest ☹️
The only thing more underwhelming in 2017 than this dunk contest was Donald Trump's inauguration day crowd.
here's 2016 Aaron Gordon soaring over a flat Earth because this year's dunk contest stunk and we deserve something awesome. pic.twitter.com/wgLnGKS0by
A 40 yr old Vince Carter could of won tonight's dunk contest
Congrats to Glenn Robinson III for winning the dunk contest by doing the same dunk III times.
Worst dunk contest ever.
Slam dunk contest pic.twitter.com/86xoNVLWoJ
Still, here are the top dunks from Saturday’s contest.
.@GRIII GOT UP! #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/y9nKuknFgf
For his first dunk of the night, Robinson, who was considered something of a longshot to win, leaped over a man on top of another man’s shoulders, grabbing the basketball as he flew by and slamming home a reverse jam that earned him a perfect 50-point score.
Once in the finals, Robinson leaped over his teammate Paul George while simultaneously grabbing the ball and windmilling it in for 44 points from the judges.
.@GRIII leaps over PG-13 for the SLAM! pic.twitter.com/lrsPu6RQHg
But Robinson undoubtedly saved his best for last, leaping over George, the Pacers mascot and a dancer while throwing home a reverse slam dunk that earned him 50 points and the night’s crown.
.@GRIII leaving his ❗️ in the #VerizonDunk! pic.twitter.com/pU0XWTiiiX
Jones entered Saturday’s contest having played just 20 minutes of NBA basketball in his career. For the most part, he is known solely for his YouTube highlight reels.
But in the first round, Jones showcased jumping ability that had many thinking he would walk away with the title.
.@TheRea1DJones got bounce #VerizonDunk
Receives 45 PTS for first dunk pic.twitter.com/5NZzImqa5H
For his first dunk, Jones jumped over four other NBA players for a massive dunk. However, because he had missed on his first attempt and needed to boost himself over the first player with his hand, he only received 45 points.
"This young man came to play tonight."@TheRea1DJones is putting on a show! #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/dkF5im9blp
Jones’s second dunk, however, earned perhaps his largest ovation of the night, as he came from the baseline to catch a pass bounced off the side of the backboard, then put the ball between his legs before finishing off the successful dunk. For that move, he earned 50 points.
Jones was unable to complete a dunk in the first round of the finals, but he managed to keep things interesting by making another 50-point dunk in similar fashion, this time approaching the rim from the foul line.
.@TheRea1DJones with the through-the-legs pic.twitter.com/d6jLJk6ifl
Jordan was eliminated early on, but the 6-foot-11 big man did impress fans and judges with an acrobatic around-the-world move in the first round.
DJ goes around the #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/8BTNcrrk4c
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
