Jalen Brunson fumes over 2024 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest’s judging: "Guess Jacob needed to jump over the shot clock"
New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson was left in disbelief with the way the scoring went down in the 2024 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest. He believes that teammate Jacob Toppin deserved higher scores for the dunks he executed.
In his two dunks in the elimination round, Toppin brought out Obi, who now plays for All-Star hosts the Indiana Pacers, and effortlessly jumped on his brother for a jam. It netted an average of 47.8 points from the five judges.
Needing a higher score to get a chance to advance to the finals, the 23-year-old Toppin went between the legs and completed a 360 slam.
To the surprise of many, including Jalen Brunson, it only earned 47.2 from the panel, composed of former dunk champions Dominique Wilkins and Fred Jones, NBA legends Gary Payton and Mitch Richmond, and Pacers ABA legend Darnell Hillman.
Brunson took his frustration over it to X (formerly Twitter), saying:
“I guess Jacob needed to jump over the shot clock to get higher than a 46”
Toppin and Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. were the first to be eliminated, sending the Celtics' All-Star Jaylen Brown and defending champion McClung to the finals. In the championship, it was the G-Leaguer who would prevail, edging the Celtics All-Star, 98.8 to 97.8, in their two-dunk showdown.
Toppin was the eighth player in Knicks history to participate in the event.
Jalen Brunson falls short in three-point contest bid
Jacob Toppin’s elimination in the slam dunk contest followed up Jalen Brunson’s own failed bid in the three-point competition prior.
The New York Knicks All-Star scored 24 points in the opening round of the shoot fest, but it was not enough as he needed to score 26 to advance.
Brunson struggled at the start, missing four of five attempts from the left corner before making seven treys in a row, 11-of-13 overall. He missed his last three shots, including the money ball, which would have put him in a tie with 26 with four others, including eventual champion Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brunson earned a spot in the contest on the back of his 41.4% shooting from three for the season. He has made 139 3-pointers in 52 regular-season games so far.
Aside from Brunson and Lillard, other competitors in the 2024 NBA Starry Three-Point Contest included Malik Beasley (Bucks), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks).
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are the Knicks players representing the Knicks in the All-Star Game on Sunday. Randle, however, will not be able to play due to a shoulder injury.