Here's how the dunkers fared during All-Star Saturday Night in New Orleans:
SLAM DUNK PARTICIPANTS
Glenn Robinson III
Pacers | Guard
Grade: A-minus
Results -- 50, 41 in Round 1; 44, 50 in Round 2
Analysis
Robinson wasn't always spectacular, but his steady performance earned him the honor of dunk champion. Robinson did deliver a pair of 50s, for dunking over multiple people (including Indiana teammate Paul George) while double clutching for added visual impact. He grazed his head on the rim on his first dunk, then capped a win that was already in the bank by going over George, Pacers mascot Boomer and Indiana's All-Star dancer and taking the ball from George on one side of the hoop to reverse dunk on the other side.
In between, Robinson got a score of 41 for making a 360 between the legs with a late eye cover -- either a dab or a tribute to Dee Brown winning the 1991 dunk contest -- and a 44 for a windmill off George's shoulders in his first dunk of the finals.
Derrick Jones Jr.
Suns | Forward
Grade: B-plus
Results -- 45, 50 in Round 1; 37, 50 in Round 2
Analysis
Every bit as spectacular as Robinson at his best -- he too earned a pair of 50s -- Jones had to settle for second place because of his inability to make his first dunk of the final round, when he tried to jump over three people and windmill the ball through the hoop. When Jones missed all three tries, the resulting score of 37 was enough to effectively knock him out of contention.
Earlier, Jones got a 45 for a similar dunk where he cleared four players (including teammate Marquese Chriss, who stands 6-foot-10) without the added flourish of the windmill. He scored a perfect 50 for going between the legs off a backboard feed from teammate Devin Booker, a dunk Jones might have wanted to save in hindsight. And though it was for naught, Jones earned his other 50 on his final attempt for going between his legs with power off a bounce pass.
DeAndre Jordan
Clippers | Center
Grade: B-minus
Results -- 41, 43 in Round 1
Analysis
Like many big men, Jordan might have been handicapped by his inability to get much hang time. So the prop he jumped on his first dunk -- DJ Khaled and a turntable -- wasn't as impressive as the NBA players other competitors cleared. Jordan's second dunk saw him barely connect on a 360 while going between his legs. A clean finish might have earned a higher score, but Jordan had to settle for a 43.
Aaron Gordon
Magic | Forward
Grade: D
Results -- 38, 34 in Round 1
Analysis
After Gordon was so close to knocking off Zach LaVine a year ago, everyone was excited to see what he had in store this year. It turned out Gordon couldn't replicate LaVine's most underrated strength as a dunker: his ability to always make his first attempt. Gordon got creative, taking the prop trend to an extreme by having a drone "pass" the basketball to him for a windmill, but it took him four tries to complete the dunk. By that point, the magic -- no pun intended -- was lost.
Gordon subsequently missed all three tries at going beneath his legs on a 360, another dunk that would have been impressive had he pulled it off. In the end, Gordon finished with the competition's lowest score.