Dunk grades: LaVine, Gordon make ’16 one of the best contests ever

Zach LaVine outlasted Aaron Gordon in a classic 2016 Slam Dunk Contest, which will go down as one of the best ever. Here are SI’s dunk-by-dunk grades.

Author:
Ben Golliver
Publish date:
Feb 14, 2016

TORONTO — The only grade that matters from Saturday night: A+.

The 2016 Slam Dunk Contest will be remembered as one of the greatest shows in NBA history. At worst, Zach LaVine’s marathon double-overtime victory over Aaron Gordon belongs in the top three in the contest’s history with Michael Jordan over Dominique Wilkins in 1988 and Vince Carter’s epic performance in 2000.

Some, including LaVine himself, may make the case that 2016’s competition, which was layered with creativity and complicated maneuvers, was even better than that. “In my opinion, yes,” the back-to-back champ said, when asked whether Saturday’s contest was the best ever.

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The standout elements of this contest were its length and drama. After LaVine and Gordon posted perfect scores on both of their final round dunks, the competition moved into a dunk-off. That extra round saw the competitors post perfect 50s again. Finally, in the second dunk-off, LaVine prevailed 50–47 to join Jordan, Jason Richardson and Nate Robinson as the only dunks to win back-to-back contests.

All told, LaVine scored 299 out of a possible 300 points on his six dunks. Afterward, the Timberwolves second-year guard told reporters that his winning dunk, which came from a step inside the free-throw line and saw him pass the ball between his legs, was improvised on the spot thanks to a suggestion from fellow competitor Will Barton.

• WATCH: Relive LaVine’s classic performance | See Gordon’s absurd dunks

Meanwhile, Gordon finished with 291 points and had perhaps the best dunk by a non-winner in Slam Dunk Contest history when he took the ball from the Magic’s mascot, passed it underneath his butt from left to right, and finished in one smooth motion.

“I think potentially I could have won,” Gordon said afterward. “It could have gone either way. Zach’s an incredible dunker, he went through the legs from the free-throw line. That is insane. So off that dunk, you’ve got to give it to him. That's why the trophy’s with him and not with me.”

Photos: NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest champions through the years

NBA Slam Dunk Contest Winners

1984: Larry Nance

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Nance bested Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins in the NBA's first dunk contest. The nine-player field also included Darrell Griffith, Clyde Drexler and 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson, who finished sixth.

1985: Dominique Wilkins

In the first of their epic duels, the Human Highlight Film beat a rookie named Michael Jordan in the finals.

1986: Spud Webb

Delighting his hometown crowd, the 5-foot-6 guard scored perfect 50s on both of his dunks in the finals to edge Hawks teammate and defending champion Dominique Wilkins. Michael Jordan was injured and did not participate.

1987: Michael Jordan

Jordan won his first dunk contest in a competition missing the previous two winners (Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb) because of injuries. "There was adrenaline pumping through my body today that was unexplainable," Jordan told reporters after defeating Jerome Kersey in the finals.

1988: Michael Jordan

In perhaps the NBA's best dunk contest, hometown favorite Jordan edged Dominique Wilkins 147-145 in the finals to become the first repeat winner. Needing a 48 on his final attempt to overtake Wilkins, Jordan scored a 50 after taking off just inside the free-throw line for a dunk. "If it wasn't in Chicago, it might have gone the other way," Jordan said afterward.

1989: Kenny Walker

With Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins sitting out, "Sky" Walker filled the void with an entertaining show that overwhelmed Clyde Drexler in the finals. The Knicks forward's victory came only three days after his father died from complications from a stroke. "There was a motivation to win it for him," Walker said.

1990: Dominique Wilkins

`Nique beat Kenny Smith and defending champion Kenny Walker to join Michael Jordan as the only two-time winners.

1991: Dee Brown

The 6-foot-1 Celtics rookie -- who famously pumped up his sneakers before each attempt -- clinched his victory over the more powerful Shawn Kemp with a one-handed, cover-your-eyes dunk.

1992: Cedric Ceballos

Damian Strohmeyer for Sports Illustrated

Having already wrapped up the title because of Larry Johnson's missed dunks in the finals, Ceballos nevertheless finished with a bang as he ran about 60 feet downcourt and completed a blindfolded slam that registered a 50.

1993: Harold Miner

"Baby Jordan" easily topped Clarence Weatherspoon and defending champion Cedric Ceballos in what he described as the highlight of a difficult rookie season with the Heat.

1994: Isaiah Rider

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Timberwolves rookie's signature move came when he drove baseline, elevated, put the ball between his legs and dunked. That was more than enough to get past Shawn Kemp and Robert Pack in the finals. Harold Miner, the 1993 winner, did not participate because of injury.

1995: Harold Miner

Miner joined Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins as the only two-time winners, denying Isaiah Rider a spot in that exclusive company.

1996: Brent Barry

Barry's version of a free-throw line dunk carried him to victory over fellow rookie Michael Finley.

1997: Kobe Bryant

Bryant, 18, who was 5 when Larry Nance won the first dunk contest, claimed the title with a between-the-legs dunk that rivaled Isaiah Rider's. Kobe remained reigning champion for a while: The NBA did not stage the competition in 1998 and All-Star weekend was scrapped in 1999 because of the lockout.

2000: Vince Carter

John W. McDonough for Sports Illustrated

Even all-time greats who have seen a few things were floored by Carter's stunning explosiveness and athleticism. "He was probably more spectacular with two of those dunks than anyone who has ever dunked a basketball," Julius Erving said after Carter blew away Steve Francis and Raptors teammate Tracy McGrady in the finals. Carter himself declared the competition over after his under-the-leg windmill jam in the first round.

2001: Desmond Mason

Mason and the rest of the six-player field had the misfortune of following the act of Vince Carter, who didn't defend his title because of a knee injury. Mason won an underwhelming competition over DeShawn Stevenson and Baron Davis.

2002: Jason Richardson

The field was cut to four and -- in what proved to be an unpopular gimmick -- each player was forced to spin a roulette-type wheel to determine certain dunks. Richardson did a convincing Dominique Wilkins impersonation en route to victory.

2003: Jason Richardson

The Warriors' guard beat 2001 champ Desmond Mason to join Michael Jordan as the only back-to-back winners. Needing a 48 on his final attempt to win, Richardson scored a 50 with a between-the-legs, left-handed dunk.

2004: Fred Jones

Jones prevented second-place finisher Jason Richardson from becoming the first three-time champion. The ending was a dud as both Jones and Richardson missed their final attempts.

2005: Josh Smith

LeBron James flirted with competing but ultimately ceded the stage to Hawks rookie Smith, who scored 50s on both attempts in the finals, including a windmill dunk while wearing Dominique Wilkins' jersey. Meanwhile, in the first round, Chris (Birdman) Anderson needed eighth tries to complete a dunk.

2006: Nate Robinson

The 5-foot-9 Knicks guard missed attempt after attempt but defeated Andre Iguodala in a dunk-off for a controversial victory.

2007: Gerald Green

The Boston swingman paid homage to 1991 champion Dee Brown by shielding his eyes during one spectacular dunk. Green first donned Brown's No. 7 Celtics jersey and jumped over fellow competitor Nate Robinson before completing the one-handed jam.

2008: Dwight Howard

Superman took flight as the 6-foot-11 Howard became the tallest winner in event history.

2009: Nate Robinson

The little man soared highest once again. Robinson would cap the night by donning a green uniform (complete with shoes and matching ball) to play the role of "krypto-Nate" to defending champ Dwight Howard's Superman. He become the fifth two-time winner in the contest's history.

2010: Nate Robinson

Make that three. The little man from New York took home his third dunk contest crown, beating out DeMar De Rozan with 51 percent of the votes in the final to become the first three-time winner in the event's history.

2011: Blake Griffin

In front of his hometown fans, Blake Griffin lived up to the hype and edged JaVale McGee to win the 2011 slam dunk title. Griffin's final and most impressive dunk of the night came when he jumped over a car and threw down a two-handed slam while a gospel choir sang "I Believe I Can Fly" at halfcourt.

2012: Jeremy Evans

Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images

The 2012 contest lacked the big names and impressive dunks, but there was no shortage of props. In the end, Utah Jazz forward Jeremy Evans, who was a replacement for the injured Iman Shumpert, won it all. Evans wore an eye camera during his first dunk so viewers could get a rim-level view.

2013: Terrence Ross

In a contest filled with missed dunks, Terrence Ross' consistency reigned supreme. The Raptors' rookie nailed all four of his dunks, including an homage to Raptors great Vince Carter and a between-the-legs dunk over a ball boy, en route to besting defending dunk champ Jeremy Evans.

2014: John Wall

Answering Sacramento rookie Ben McLemore's dunk in which he leaped over Shaquille O'Neal seated in a king's throne, Wall took the ball from Wizards mascot G-Man, who held it above his head, then brought it down between his legs and slammed down a reverse dunk. Wall's efforts earned him the slam dunker of the night honor, a title that involved a social media component.

2015: Zach LaVine

LaVine earned a perfect score (50) with his first dunk of the night, an homage to "Space Jam" between-the-legs reverse effort, and brought the crowd to its feet with three other acrobatic dunks. The Timberwolves guard became the second-youngest player to win the contest.

2016: Zach LaVine beats Aaron Gordon

Zach LaVine scored a perfect 50 on his first dunk and needed two dunk-offs to outlast Aaron Gordon for a classic victory.

In SI.com’s opinion, the five judges—George Gervin, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady and Magic Johnson—ultimately crowned the proper champion. LaVine was a deserving winner, by the slightest of margins.

Without further ado, let’s hand out grades for all 16 dunks from Saturday night in Toronto.

FIRST ROUND

Will Barton’s Dunk No. 1

Will Barton aka “The Thrill” aka “The People’s Champ” came out with a bang, dressed Michael Jackson-style in a red leather jacket and surrounded by zombie dancers.

His first dunk was very good: he went right-to-left through his legs, passing the ball from back to front, before finishing with two hands over his head. The judges were a little bit too harsh, likely because this was the contest’s first slam and they wanted to leave a little wiggle room.

Official Grade: 44 out of 50
SI.com’s Grade: 46 out of 50

SI.com’s ballot gives LaVine a perfect total score of 300 out of 300. Gordon finished just behind him with 295 out of 300.