NEW ORLEANS >> The towering big man helped the Clippers become “Lob City,” but DeAndre Jordan doesn’t feel very imposing at the moment.
To prepare for his first NBA dunk contest on Saturday at Smoothie King Center, Jordan said he spent this week practicing about 100 different dunks. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Clippers center has made dunking look easy during his nine-year NBA career, but he said he feels “more nervous” competing against Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, Phoenix’s Derrick Jones Jr. and Indiana’s Glenn Robinson III. Jordan considers the showcase event more stressful than appearing in his first NBA All-Star game, which he’ll do Sunday as a Western Conference reserve.
“I just think the worst,” Jordan said on Friday. “Getting hung out there, my shorts falling down, trying to do a dunk 20 times. I don’t want the crowd giving me a pity cheer.”
Jordan recalled trying to dunk a lob from teammate Chris Paul that got stuck on the rim in a game against Boston during the 2013-14 season. Jordan also reported feeling uneasy when teammate Blake Griffin informed him of his plans to leap over a car for the 2011 contest at Staples Center.
“This could go either this way or some people could get fired,” Jordan remembers thinking.
Instead, Jordan saw something he said “felt like a movie.” A choir sang before Griffin took the court. Former Clippers guard Baron Davis stationed a car near the basket. Davis then threw the basketball through the sunroof to Griffin, who then dunked the ball to win the contest.
“Ever since then,” Jordan said, “I was like, ‘Man, I want to be a part of that.’”
Will Griffin, a car or both be part of Jordan’s dunk routine?
“I cannot say,” Jordan said, smiling. “I had to sign a sheet of paper.”
Jordan contends Griffin only advised him not to miss any attempts. Former NBA forward Kevin Garnett, who has consulted with the Clippers this season, said the same thing. Jordan joked the feedback “was really helpful.”
Jordan said he has narrowed his routine to four dunks. He dismissed his brother’s suggestion to dunk from halfcourt, calling the feat “humanly impossible.” Jordan also might have tipped his hand on whether he will involve props.
“Props really go a long way,” Jordan said. “There’s a lot of dunks that have been done. It’s probably not going to be too much you haven’t seen.”
After first dunking as an eighth grader, Jordan said he admired forwards and centers who won the event, including Larry Nance (1984), Dominique Wilkins (1985, 1990). Vince Carter (2000), Dwight Howard (2008) and Griffin (2011).
Though the judges include former frontcourt players David Robinson, Chris Webber and Wilkins, Jordan suggested his physical stature likely puts him at a disadvantage.
“It looks a lot cooler when you see a short guy doing it,” Jordan said. “Big guys don’t get a lot of love for that. They think, ‘Oh, you can dunk easily.’”
Why all the nerves over something he has done numerous times with the Clippers?
“If I expect the worst, then if something good happens, it’s exciting,” Jordan said. “I’m super excited. I had a lot of help and a lot of ideas from people. It will be fun.”
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