NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2018: Top Highlights, Reaction from Donovan Mitchell's Win

Donning a Vince Carter jersey, Utah Jazz rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell stole the show at the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest Saturday.

Staples Center in Los Angeles was the latest place the Rookie of the Year contender took command of and refused to let go, outlasting Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. by all of two points in what turned into an affair paying homage to the past.

Mitchell kept it somewhat simple for his first two dunks, using a second hoop to bounce the ball before slamming it home and then going aerial over actor Kevin Hart and others for the second:

The finals is where things got interesting.

Mitchell, all of 6'3" and 215 pounds, used his stunning athleticism to rise up for his first of two final-round slams, wowing the crowd in the process:

From there, it was Carter-jersey time, as Mitchell suited up in Toronto purple and black before spinning into history and likely carve out a nice legacy for himself:

It should say quite a bit, though, that Mitchell only won the dunk contest by two points. 

Kudos to Nance, who had one of the most memorable performances in modern contest history by paying homage to his father (champion of the inaugural 1984 contest) and throwing down an epic double-tap effort.

The entire night for Nance:

While impressive, it couldn't shut down the Mitchell hype machine. 

After all, we are talking about a rookie who helped his Jazz to 11 straight wins before the break, has them in the thick of the Western Conference and has averages of 19.6 points and 3.5 assists and rebounds despite being the No. 13 pick.

Comparisons to other stars will abound, but perhaps the most notable is one ESPN Stats & Info proposed:

Mitchell has the cosign of a certain former dunk contest big-performer: 

Other media members weighed in on the performance, while Mitchell himself simply made a point to take a deep dive when asked why he wanted to include his sister in the performance:

Mitchell's duel with Nance and their evocations of NBA legends mean the contest is up there with modern classics such as the staredown between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine.

Now Mitchell moves on to bigger things—he's tasked with helping the Jazz make some potential postseason noise before showing up at the contest next year as a defending champion.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.