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DeAndre Jordan Finishes Third In 2017 Slam Dunk Contest

By Nicholas Agar-Johnson

Dec 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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DeAndre Jordan entered the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest after making his first All-Star Game. He finished third, but threw down two solid dunks.

Many years ago, DeAndre Jordan promised that he would not enter the Slam Dunk Contest unless he was also playing in the All-Star Game. Jordan got his first All-Star nod this year and followed through on his promise to enter the Dunk Contest as well.

Coming into the contest, Aaron Gordon was favored to win after a spectacular second place finish to Zach LaVine last year. Relative unknown Derrick Jones Jr. loomed as a dark horse with an incredible highlight reel and the nickname Airplane Mode. Glenn Robinson III did not enter with the same resume as Jones Jr., but he nonetheless entered the day with quite a lot of confidence.

Robinson was right to come into the night with confidence and won the 2017 Dunk Contest. He started and ended the night with perfect 50 dunks. The contest overall did not live up to last year’s high standards, however, especially after Gordon missed all but one of his dunk attempts and finished in fourth place.

Despite the stacked field, DeAndre put on a solid performance. His two dunks did not match up to those of the two Finalists, but he certainly acquitted himself well.

Round One

On his first dunk, DeAndre teamed up with DJ Khaled for a dunk over a DJ booth. The “Go DJ” joke was entertaining but more than a little corny. The dunk itself was solid, but not a top-notch jam:

DeAndre does manage to clear a sizable prop booth but does not do anything special beyond clearing the booth. The DJ joke was at least a nice lead-in to the contest but did not quite have the flair or hang time of Dwight Howard‘s similar prop dunks. Blake Griffin cleared the hood of a Kia; DeAndre could have gone for more than just a turntable.

Jordan only got a 41 on the dunk, with four eights and one nine from Alonzo Mourning. The dunk might have been worthy of a slightly higher score, but it was a decent showing for DJ.

Round Two

DeAndre’s second round dunk was an amazing between-the-legs 360 dunk that was marred by a missed first attempt and a less than perfect finish. DeAndre himself was quite disappointed with the dunk:

Even with the missed attempt and the mediocre finish, DeAndre still impressed the judges enough to get a 43 on this dunk. The fact that he even managed to get this dunk down at all is remarkable for a seven-footer. It might not be all that creative of a dunk, since between-the-legs 360s have been done before. However, a better finish could have given him a shot at the Finals. A perfect score would have left him tied with Robinson III.

While DeAndre’s night may have ended on this dunk, his performance was quite respectable overall. His first dunk may have been better received if it had not opened the contest. Additionally, his second dunk was inches away from being close to a perfect score.

Next: 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Week 17

DeAndre Jordan did not win the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest, but he kept his promise and put on a solid show. With his first All-Star Game tonight, he certainly will not go home from New Orleans disappointed.

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