Raise your hand if you remember the epic battle between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine in the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest.
Everyone? Good.
That dunk battle was arguably best of all time. And many will say that Gordon won that contest, but was robbed in a sense because LaVine had the uncanny ability to do fun stuff from the free throw line.
And while LaVine has been hurt and thus unable to participate in the last contest — he won't be in the upcoming one either as he recently returned from an injury — Gordon has been a steady competitor, although he was not in the final round in the 2017 showdown.
But this year, the fans were going to see Gordon again, this time facing off against three new players all vying for the crown. But news broke Monday that he will miss a game because of an injury, and will also not compete in the dunk contest this year after all, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Aaron Gordon will not play tonight in Miami because of his strained hip flexor, and he also has withdrawn from the All-Star dunk contest, the team announced.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) February 5, 2018
The news is truly a shame. Devastating to all the slam dunk fans of the world. Gordon showed in 2016 that he has some of the most creative ideas, and was surely ready to break out some incredible stuff in this season's contest.
It would have been truly delightful to see Gordon square off with Dennis Smith Jr., Victor Oladipo and Larry Nance Jr., three high-flyers in their own rights.
But alas, we won't get to see it. Gordon must be more devastated than we all are. But his health is more important than a dunk contest.
Now, we have to see Donovan Mitchell in the contest. And if Adrian Wojnarowski is right — and he usually is — we will.
Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is expected to replace Orlando’s Aaron Gordon in the dunk contest on NBA All-Star weekend, league sources tell ESPN. Gordon withdrew with a hip injury.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2018
Follow Us
Subscribe