Zach LaVine's 2015 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Triumph Ranks Among Best of All Time
Zach LaVine is probably still somewhere in orbit, but the Slam Dunk Contest is back thanks to his high-flying ways and sheer passion.
On Saturday, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard spearheaded a back-to-basics event that the NBA only hoped would wipe the slate clean and erase any memories of past bumbling years and questions as to why it still even exists.
The 19-year-old UCLA product who hails from Renton, Washington, delivered.
Just like that, gone are the days of strange superhero capes, oddly placed car props and confusing team-based rules.
In are the days when things such as "Vinsanity" come to light—LaVine is going to need to work on something comparable—and fans tune in for high-profile showdowns, because rest assured LaVine will be back against Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo and others.
LaVine's dominance was swift, unforgiving and just what the event needed.
He started with a bang and never looked back while implementing a smooth Space Jam theme:
Next up was another perfect 50 from the judges:
In the championship round, LaVine utilized teammate Andrew Wiggins—who will surely participate in more than a few of these events, likely beginning next year—as a tee:
To finish things off, he grabbed a bounce off the stanchion and cemented his title:
Call it universal acclaim. LaVine's accomplishment reaches both recent history and far back.
Recent history, as ESPN Stats & Info points out:
Far back, as Chris Palmer and Portland Trail Blazers star Meyers Leonard suggest:
This is about more than praise, though.
The globe knows LaVine put on a special show. He wowed a legendary crowd of judges—Julius Erving, Walt Frazier, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Bernard King and Chris Mullin—and regularly left the broadcasters searching for words and his young competition searching for answers to match the escalating nature of his attack.
No, much of LaVine's feat is important because of his reaction, best captured by SLAM Magazine and NBA on TNT:
Sometimes the attitude of the winner and participants says it all. Fans, subconsciously or not, can view the event and other All-Star festivities as a glorified vacation for players if they do not show something of a competitive fire—look at the NFL's Pro Bowl.
The NBA seemed to have this in mind with the four-man field.
Sure, it would be fun to watch LeBron James go at the contest with some wow-worthy dunks, but in the postgame presser, it is hard to take some regurgitated "it's an honor" quote seriously—everyone knows it's but a blip on the radar in comparison to other accomplishments for players of that stature.
There was big man Mason Plumlee, the hometown favorite who continues to claw out a name for himself behind and next to Brook Lopez in Brooklyn.
There was small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the key cogs in Milwaukee's resurgence and a seemingly surefire top-10 player down the road.
There was Oladipo, a veteran of the contest and slowly developing franchise player Orlando desperately needs him to be.
Then there was LaVine.
LaVine, a kid from Washington, took flight on Saturday with apparent ease and took the NBA and a fading event along with him.
How and when LaVine, who has plenty of years left to rule the event, comes back down to Earth is difficult to know. For now, fans will want to pop out the telescopes and follow along as a new era for the event—and a young new cast of superstars led by LaVine—creeps into view.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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