Zach LaVine: Repeats as Slam Dunk champ

Below, we recap the 12 best dunks of the night. It seemed his repertoire, which included a 360 while taking the ball from the mascot rotating on a hoverboard, deserved the four scores of 50 like LaVine had.

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In a game of big men, Isaiah Thomas stands apart.

LaVine said they should share the trophy “because he did stuff I’ve never seen before”. Towns spoke about the significance of a frontcourt player winning the Skills Challenge, saying, “This moment is bigger than me. Get ready for another exciting night.

Watch the full contest below! LaVine – a second year player with the Minnesota Timberwolves – went into this year’s contest as the hot favourite and didn’t disappoint.

Earlier, Klay Thompson knocked off defending champion and Golden State Warriors team-mate Stephen Curry and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns to win the three-point contest.

“Not gonna lie, I got nervous when he hit his first eight [seven actually] and I didn’t think he was going to miss.” said Thompson.

-New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has dismissed a trade rumor – “I’m not going anywhere” – as the National Basketball Association deadline is five days away.

Paul George leads all scorers with 14 points for the East. Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis each have 10 so far for the West, Davis getting his on 5 for 5 shooting.

“We can do this all night”, said the announcer. The Splash Brothers have taken over the NBA’s spotlight, and this was a flawless distillation of that and an uncut helping of pure entertainment.

The tightly contested final was a flurry of acrobatic artistry and pitted LaVine against Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic. Even though Zach ultimately pulled off the win, it was one of Gordon’s dunks that has everyone talking about the best dunk in the history of the NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest.

Sincerely, both guys should have shared the trophy. And guess what? Gordon delivered with another 50, with help from Magic teammate Elfrid Payton. This was better than Vince Carter’s virtuoso performance in 2000; that was more exhibition than competition. The Jordan/Wilkins battles of the 80s were legendary. And then Gordon upped the ante with what was the most purely impressive dunk of the night.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has been named MVP of the 2016 All-Star game, giving him the award for the second straight season.