2020 Slam Dunk Contest Participants: Format, Odds and Predicted Winner

Aaron Gordon, Derrick Jones Jr. and Dwight Howard have all displayed their originality and athleticism in previous Slam Dunk Contests, but only Howard has won the event. Pat Connaughton, who had a 44-inch vertical at the 2015 combine, will join the three in Saturday's competition at the United Center in Chicago.

Connaughton may bring some creativity to the exhibition, as he has teased the potential involvement of Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich. The 27-year-old has a baseball background as a fourth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2014.

Odds: Gordon +125 (bet $100 to win $125), Jones +150, Connaughton +425, Howard +500

Odds via Bovada

Format

Each participant will dunk twice in the opening round. The rules permit three attempts at each slam, but the better scores will generally come from a conversion on the first try.

Five judges will grade the dunks on a scale of six to 10, after which the top two scorers will advance to the championship round and dunk twice, where those scores are then added together to produce a champion.

Predicted Winner: Gordon

Gordon, who lost the 2016 competition to Zach LaVine, put on a show.

He utilized Orlando Magic mascot Stuff for a few dunks, with the most notable featuring Gordon taking the ball from Stuff while the mascot was spinning on a hoverboard.

Howard is known for his Slam Dunk Contest duels with Nate Robinson, including the famous slam in a Superman cape in 2008. Jones may not be the most well-known player of the quartet, but he impressed in 2017, dunking over four people. And Connaughton is a tremendous leaper who may have something interesting planned.

Still, Gordon is the pick.

In the 2017 contest, which Glenn Robinson III won, Gordon broke out a drone to drop a basketball to him. He proved in back-to-back years he can come up with a unique set of slams, and he should do the same once again.