The marquee event of NBA All-Star Saturday Night has always been the Slam Dunk Contest. This year is no different, as Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers gets to perform in front of his home crowd. Griffin highlights a group of four contestants in tonight's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, the fourth and final event of the night on TNT.
The contestants:
- Blake Griffin (Clippers): the All-Star and Rookie of the Year lock has made Clipper games must-see TV this year with his high-flying act.
- DeMar DeRozan (Raptors): he has a Los Angeles connection, having went to USC, well for one season at least
- Serge Ibaka (Thunder)
- JaVale McGee (Wizards)
After mighty mite Nate Robinson won the last two contests, this year's event features the tallest slam dunk field ever. DeRozan is the shortest at 6'7", Griffin and Ibaka are 6'10", while McGee is a 7-footer. Griffin will be the crowd favorite, but he will be hard pressed to create a more memorable dunk than the one he and John Wall created last night in the NBA Rookie Challenge:
Brent Barry is the only Los Angeles Clipper to ever win the Slam Dunk Contest, taking home the honors in 1996.