“I probably could’ve got second”: 2-time Slam Dunk Contest snub Aaron Gordon jumps on 2024 judge bashing bandwagon
The two-time NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest winner, Aaron Gordon shared his thoughts about the contest held on Saturday on social media. After the exciting three-point contests and the final event of the night, the Slam Dunk contest failed to live up to expectations as judges downgraded some crowd-appealing dunks.
Many viewers have expressed a perceived monotony of dunks, questionable judging, baffling commentary, and general apathy about the event. Reacting to the 2024 All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, Aaron Gordon tweeted that he could probably have gotten second in the contest.
The Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown delivered two dunks in the finals, which were well-received by the judges but not so much by the crowd. However, the real drama was during the first round when Brown put up a dunk, to which the crowd responded with loud boos.
The judges, however, gave Brown a good score, which resulted in the elimination of New York Knicks G Leaguer Jacob Toppin. Toppin had a more crowd-appealing dunk, going 360 through the legs.
Some demanded to give the three-point contest preference over the dunk contest, given the level of excitement it invokes.
However, Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung's performance was impressive in an otherwise unimpressive Slam Dunk Contest. Though he wasn't as exciting as his breakout performance last season, he was still the standout and managed to defend his title as the Slam Dunk champion.
McClung delivered a set of wild dunks to become the fifth back-to-back dunk contest winner in NBA history, joining Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson, and Zach LaVine.
Aaron Gordon arguably robbed of 2016 All-Star Slam Dunk Contest title by judges
Aaron Gordon gave a performance for the ages in the 2016 NBA dunk contest. He battled against Zach LaVine, who eventually claimed the award. However, Gordon's loss has a big asterisk.
Gordon finished second behind LaVine, who received a perfect score from the judges in the first round. The two dunk experts then staged what is widely regarded as the best dunk contest in NBA All-Star history.
The final round featured both of them racking up perfect scores continuously. Finally, after three rounds of ties, LaVine scored another perfect score of 50 to Gordon's 47 in the fourth tie-breaker round.
However, to this day, many, including Aaron Gordon, believe that he should've won the title that weekend.