Blake Griffin and JaVale McGee used props and incomparable athleticism to wow fans in what was arguably the most creative Slam Dunk contest in NBA history.
In the first round, McGhee of the Washington Wizards pulled off a dunk that appeared physically impossible. With a portable basketball goal placed next to the original goal, McGee proceeded to dunk two basketballs in each goal. Fans at the Staples Center were in awe after seeing a dunk that very few have ever witnessed before.
However, Blake Griffin, who was the hometown favorite, countered McGee’s dunk with a 360 degree slam dunk that was a work of art.
DeMarr DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) impressed by bouncing the ball off of the court and cuffing it with one hand before dunking.
And Serge Ibaka captured the essence of Hollywood with an assist from a 7-year-old who appeared to be distressed because his toy was stuck on the basketball goal. Ibaka bit the toy bear and dunked the ball.
But Griffin was the night’s most impressive showman. For his final dunk, teammate Baron Davis drove a Kia Optima onto the court and parked it in front of the basket. As a choir from Crenshaw belted out “I Believe I Can Fly,” Davis threw a basketball from the car’s sunroof and Griffin soared over the hood of the Optima for the dunk.
Fans in the Staples Center erupted in a merry din. After the contest, Griffin spoke about his final dunk.
“That was Kenny [Smith’s] idea,” Griffin said. “I was going to jump over the choir and Baron Davis suggested that we put the choir in front of the car. But the NBA said we could not cover up the car, so we put the choir at half court and I’m glad that it worked out the way it did.” –amir shaw
