DIAL-O FOR OKLAHOMA
ROOKIE WINS SLAM DUNK WITH HELP FROM SHAQ
CHARLOTTE – Rookie Hamidou Diallo showed off his imagination and 44-inch vertical leap to claim the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard needed a 43 to win on his second and last dunk of the finals to beat New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. for the crown. Diallo called on rapper Quavo to hold the ball just above his head, sprinted from the right corner of the court and crammed a walk-off, two-hand jam. The dunk received a 45. “Atmosphere was great,” Diallo said. “I just came out and gave the crowd what they were looking for.”
There were props and propellers, guest appearances and perfect 50s, but in the end the night belonged to Diallo, a second-round pick out of Kentucky who was a five-star recruit out of high school.
“I was a little nervous,” Diallo said, adding that he would give the golden basketball trophy to his mom.
On his first finals dunk, Diallo was eyeto-rim, taking the ball off a bounce to the right side of the rim and authoritatively flushing it for a score of 43.
After a botched first dunk in the finals, Smith brought Dwyane Wade and Stephen Curry to the court. He stationed Wade in the middle of the lane facing the basket and Curry to Wade’s right. Curry lobbed the ball as Smith vaulted over Wade, caught the ball and put down a right-handed windmill for a perfect 50, to the rousing response of boos from the crowd.
Smith missed two dunks on his first turn in the finals and was given scores of seven across the board for a 35.
In the opening round, Diallo rolled a ball rack into the middle of the lane preparing for his second dunk. He opted instead to call for “the biggest person in the building.” Shaquille O’Neal was positioned four feet from the basket, and Diallo skied over the 7-footer and finished with his right arm stuffed inside the rim.
Diallo was given a 50, and he had a total of 98 on his first two dunks.