Julius Irving recently sat down with Complex Magazine to discuss the state of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Having won a dunk contest himself, Dr. J quickly jumped into his best rankings list of players, and had praise for one particular dunker.
“I'll tell you; Zach (LaVine) has put on a show the last couple of years. He has to get kudos. I don't know if the surprise factor and the timing coordination dunks that he does are as impactful as what Vince Carter brought to the scene when he did a few things that hadn't been seen before.”
So where then does the good doctor rank Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine on his all time list?
“I think with Connie Hawkins, myself, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, there's a lineage there, and I think Vince shook it up a little bit there with a couple of dunks there. I’m gonna let (LaVine) reside in that spot right there.”
Irving has been a tough judge in dunk contests over the years, but LaVine certainly has the right formula, if Dr. J feels he’s good enough to be placed on a platform with himself.
LaVine had an infamous dunk duel with Orlando Magic big man Aaron Gordon in the 2016 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. The two players dunked and showed an incredible and creative display of athletic ability that went down in the history books.
Although LaVine eventually won the contest, most felt the winner could’ve been either player and that Gordon had the single best dunk of the night.
Erving added:
“It was clearly as good as the Wilkins-Jordan showdown, and I had a showdown with David Thompson back in '76 which was the last year in the ABA. It doesn't get acknowledged as much, but it was a great showdown.
“But Zach and Gordon, in terms of the guys who are judging and to hear what they had to say during that time, records are made to be broken, and standards of the bar are established to be challenged so somebody can go above it.
“I would put those two guys, the things they did this past show in Toronto, at the top of the bar. Even for them to chase next year, or put some new guys next year to go after it…they have raised the bar to a different level.”
Lavine says he loves to put on a show for the fans, and if he wins one more contest, he'll be in even more elite company. The only player to win three contests is Nate Robinson, which is the most in NBA History.
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