Julius Erving Amazed by Zach LaVine, Says '16 Dunk Contest Was an All-Timer
Julius Erving is known as one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history, so if there's someone who can judge today's best high-flyers, it would be Dr. J.
There is one current player in particular who catches his eye.
Zach LaVine. You know, the two-time reigning NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.
Since coming into the league as a first-rounder in 2014, LaVine has brought the dunk contest back to life. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard's incredible athleticism allows him to do things that not many in the league are capable of—and he uses that to his advantage during the competitions.
In an interview with Complex Sports, Dr. J was very complimentary of the 21-year-old LaVine, putting him among some elite company:
"I'll tell you; Zach has put on a show the last couple of years. He has to get kudos. I don't know if the surprise factor and the timing coordination dunks that he does are as impactful as what Vince Carter brought to the scene when he did a few things that hadn't been seen before. I think with Connie Hawkins, myself, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, there's a lineage there, and I think Vince shook it up a little bit there with a couple of dunks there. I'm gonna let him reside in that spot right there.
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For someone known for dunking, praise doesn't get much better than that. To be mentioned in the same breath as Erving, Jordan, Carter and Co. is a great honor.
Whether or not you believe LaVine should have been named this year's dunk champ, there's no denying that he and Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon put on a show for the ages. Even Dr. J is willing to admit that the 2016 dunk contest was the greatest of all time:
"It was clearly as good as the Wilkins-Jordan showdown, and I had a showdown with David Thompson back in '76 which was the last year in the ABA. It doesn't get acknowledged as much, but it was a great showdown. But Zach and [Aaron] Gordon, in terms of the guys who are judging and to hear what they had to say during that time, records are made to be broken, and standards of the bar are established to be challenged so somebody can go above it. I would put those two guys, the things they did this past show in Toronto, at the top of the bar. Even for them to chase next year, or put some new guys next year to go after it...they have raised the bar to a different level.
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LaVine would like to be among the best all-around players in the league at some point, but being listed among the greatest dunkers ever (just two years into his career) has to be extremely flattering. Everyone—including Dr. J—will be watching to see if LaVine can continue to raise the bar higher and higher.
