Just when we thought the NBA Slam Dunk Contest was becoming a snoozefest, Zach LaVine woke us up with his acrobatic, high-flying throwdowns the last two years. The two-time reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion not only grabbed our attention but also snagged the attention of one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history: Dr. J.
We've seen what Julius Erving is capable of around the rim, but The Doctor may have just placed the 21-year-old LaVine on the same level as dunking royalty. In Dr. J's interview with Complex sports, he shares his admiration for the Minnesota Timberwolves guard.
"I'll tell you, Zach has put on a show the last couple of years. He has to get kudos," Erving said. "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."
Despite the controversial decision that awarded LaVine the victory in this year's dunk-for-dunk contest, he and Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon did not disappoint, as they appeared to sit in midair and effortlessly jump out of the gym. Dr. J even claims it was the greatest of all time. Yes, you read that correctly.
"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," Erving said. "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."
LaVine is coming up on just his third season in the NBA and has already been compared to some of the greatest dunkers in NBA history. By Dr. J, for that matter. It seems that LaVine may be getting this dunking thing down.