By Josh Cohen
Feb. 14, 2015
BROOKLYN -- Feel free to debate amongst yourselves where the 2015 Sprite Slam Dunk contest ranks amongst the best dunk competitions in NBA history. It was spectacular – thanks largely to electrifying slams and showmanship from finalists Victor Oladipo and Zach LaVine.
While LaVine went above and beyond to claim the crown, Oladipo’s creativity was impressive also.
A summary of the Magic guard’s dunks (Watch Below):
Round 1, First Dunk: Introduced wearing a Frank Sinatra-replica tuxedo shirt and top hat while singing the all-time classic hit, “New York, New York.” Oladipo then proceeded to slam home a full 360-and-some reverse, which scored a perfect 50 from the judges. He afterwards raised a sign to the crowd that had "Mr. 360" on one side and "Mr. 540" handwritten on the other.
Round 1, Second Dunk: Trailing his backcourt teammate Payton from behind along the baseline, Oladipo caught the ball off the side of the glass and flushed home a one-handed jam.
Final Round, Third Dunk: With Payton sitting in a chair and the ball lifted about a foot above his head, Oladipo attempted to catch it mid-air, go between the legs and throw it down. He failed, however, to finish on all three tries.
Final Round, Fourth Dunk: After first attempting to catch the ball off a high toss and finish a one-handed 360 degree slam, Oladipo decided to switch up the plan and instead flushed home a monster jam from behind the hoop. Payton threw it softy off the back of the basket and Oladipo stormed in from behind and powered it home.
LaVine’s explosiveness and accuracy was too much for Oladipo to overcome. The Timberwolves guard’s collection of dunks drew comparisons to what Vince Carter displayed 15 years ago. He also completed all of his slams, typically the key to winning the competition. Brooklyn's Mason Plumlee and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo were eliminated in the First Round.
Oladipo partnered with nonprofit Dunk Cancer and will donate the money he earned from the event to three research facilities.
"This weekend has been out of this world," Oladipo said. "If they want me to, I will do it again (compete in dunk contest next year)."