(Reuters) – Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic to repeat as the NBA Slam Dunk champion on Saturday after both impressed with gravity-defying displays of athleticism and imagination.
In one of the most riveting slam dunk contests in recent years, LaVine and Gordon went toe-to-toe in the first two rounds of the final round then needed a pair of tie-breakers, where the former sealed it with his fourth consecutive perfect 50 score.
LaVine, a 20-year-old second-year NBA player, joined Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Nate Robinson (2009-10) as the only players to win consecutive slam dunk contests.
The streak of perfect scores from the two players ended when Gordon, who enlisted a mascot rotating on a hoverboard for one of his earlier dunks, ran along the baseline en route to a jackknife dunk that earned him 47 points.
LaVine sealed it on the next attempt when he soared into the air from a step inside the free-throw line and made a between-the-legs dunk that earned a perfect score from a panel of judges that included basketball greats Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal.
