Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon will be one of the participants in the highly-anticipated All-Star Dunk Contest on Saturday evening. This will be the 24-year-old's much-awaited second appearance in the spectacle following what was a truly epic performance in the 2016 edition of the Dunk Contest.

Recently, Gordon opened up about his historic showdown with Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine some four years ago — a battle that Gordon ended up conceding to the latter — and admitted that this served as a tremendous boost for his career and his global popularity.

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“It took me from a domestic, American-known name to all over the world, people knew who I was,” Gordon told ESPN after Thursday night's dunk contest practice session, via ESPN's Nick DePaula. “After that 2016 dunk contest, people really started to take a liking to me all over the world.”

From being a little-known sophomore at that point, the Magic star used the Dunk Contest as a platform to boost his profile. Thanks to his hard work and god-given talent, though, he was able to transition his image from a highlight-reel dunker to a legitimate up-and-comer in the league. Right now, the 6-foot-8 forward has emerged as one of the key cogs in Orlando's present and future.

Saturday night's Dunk Contest will now present Gordon with a shot at redemption. There are some who will argue that he deserved that title over LaVine back in 2016, so this will be his chance at setting the record straight. He will be faced with some tough competition, though, with Miami Heat high-flyer Derrick Jones Jr., former dunk champ Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks stud Pat Connaughton all posing as legitimate contenders for this year's bragging rights.