Aaron Gordon Says He Won't Compete in 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

After a disappointing performance in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon will take a break from the event next year. 

Gordon explained his decision to sit out the 2018 dunk contest to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. 

"This event takes a lot out of you when you approach it as seriously as I do," Gordon said.

Graham Betchart, Gordon's mental conditioning coach and dunk consultant, told B/R Mag's Flinder Boyd about the Magic star's preparation for this event. 

"He's taking this year's contest very seriously," Betchart says. "It's been on his mind since the third grade."

Coming into Saturday, Gordon sounded like he was doing everything in his power to try to save the dunk contest from obscurity. 

“The dunk contest was getting dull,” Gordon told the Associated Press (via Fox Sports). “People were starting to count it out. They were actually talking about putting the 3-point contest at the end of the night instead of the dunk contest at the end of the night because there were so many great shooters. There’s no more talk about that.”

It was evident on Saturday that Gordon put plenty of thought into his performance. He was the final competitor to go in Round 1, due in no small part to his star-making turn against Zach LaVine in last year's contest, and decided to bring out a drone for help. 

The video shows Gordon making that dunk, but the frustration he displays after putting the ball in the basket is the result of his having failed to execute it three times before that one. 

Gordon's score of 38 was the low total of the first round. Along with Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, Gordon was eliminated after the second round.

Because Gordon was considered the main event of this year's contest, his shortcomings played a large part in the event being mostly forgettable. Indiana Pacers forward Glenn Robinson III won the competition with some very strong dunks, but hardly anything that will stick out on highlight reels. 

Gordon's absence in 2018 will open the door for the NBA to hopefully find another excellent dunker who is waiting for the proper stage to unleash his talent.