NBA fans on Twitter were up in arms over the controversial result of the 2020 Slam Dunk Competition that saw Derrick Jones Jr. edge out Aaron Gordon in two tie-breaker rounds.
People complained about how the judging went and even criticized Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who was among the five judges on Saturday night, for seemingly giving the hometown nod to Jones Jr.
D-Wade finally responded to his naysayers by saying that instead of bashing him for alleged home cooking, they should remember that two others also gave Gordon a 9 on his final dunk attempt, which ultimately cost the Magic forward the crown. He also expressed how difficult it is to judge the competition and eventually needing to pick a winner.
NBA Twitter voiced out their conspiracy theories that Wade did some home cooking for his former teammate.
Gordon appeared to be on his way to taking home the Slam Dunk crown after jumping over the 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall for his final dunk. However, three judges, particularly D-Wade, Chadwick Boseman, and Scottie Pippen, all gave him a 9, thus giving him a total of 47. Jones Jr. previously received a 48 for a free-throw line windmill dunk that earned him his first Slam Dunk trophy.
With that said, you can't place the blame solely on Wade for this one.
Nonetheless, there is nothing Wade can do about it now. People will express their opinions and thoughts, and majority definitely believed Gordon should have won the competition. In fact, Reggie Miller and Kenny “The Jet” Smith, both of whom were calling the contest, even said on air that Gordon was robbed of the crown once again.
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