Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. is set to join Jaylen Brown, Mac McClung, and Jacob Toppin in the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Jaquez hinted at a surprise dunk ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend during a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
“I think I’ve got one dunk that you guys will be surprised to see,” Jaquez said. “I’m looking forward to it, we’ve got a lot of work behind the scenes being put into the creativity of all this. I didn’t realize how serious this process was going to be.”
Jaquez will have a legitimate chance of winning this year's dunk contest. He has experience as well, even previously defeating NBA player Kenyon Martin Jr. and NFL receiver Drake London in a high school dunk contest, via Ballislife.com.
Jaquez is ready to represent the Heat in the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest. He's going to face difficult competition, but he's clearly not lacking confidence ahead of the event.
“I was very excited when I got that call, when they offered me a spot to participate, something that I’ve always been a fan of my entire life, watching the All-Star Weekend,” Jaquez said, via Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “The dunk contest is something that you always look forward to. So for them to be able to hand out an invitation to me is really special.”
Jaquez's 2023-24 season with Heat
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has performed well in his rookie season. He is currently averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Jaquez is also shooting 49.4 percent from the field.
Overall, the Heat are 28-25. Miami is in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Of course, they narrowly earned a playoff spot a season ago before making an NBA Finals run in the playoffs, so the Heat cannot be counted out.
For now, Miami will focus on playing well before the All-Star break. Then, Jamie Jaquez Jr. will receive an opportunity to shine in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
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