VIDEO: Derrick Jones Jr. Defeats Aaron Gordon in Epic Dunk Contest Despite Throwdown Over Tacko Fall
By Adam Weinrib
Derrick Jones Jr. is your Slam Dunk Champion, which is impressive -- he was great! But we're living in a 1988 redux scenario, folks. Because while Jones Jr. threw down some monstrous stuff, the whole world is going to walk away from this one remembering what Aaron Gordon did, specifically to Tacko Fall.
The Tacko Dunk. pic.twitter.com/nb580wIIuv
— Gonzalo Vázquez (@GVazquezNY) February 16, 2020
Tacko is 7-5. Gordon cleared him, barely tipping his fingers. Yet somehow, this marks the second time the Magic star has been narrowly defeated in an all-time Dunk Contest.
In fact, the Tacko Dunk was the only Gordon effort that did NOT net a 50.
Four straight 50’s for Aaron Gordon pic.twitter.com/nWbKujUPUI
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) February 16, 2020
Would you like to see a Derrick Jones Jr. dunk? Of course you would! They were also spectacular, and he would've been a clear-cut champion in any other year.
DJJ. BETWEEN THE LEGS. OVER TWO PEOPLE.#ATTSlamDunk pic.twitter.com/F4Mg4DrITQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2020
Unfortunately, the NBA had a chance to right a great wrong and give Gordon his hardware, but instead doubled down on disaster.
One of the 9's on his damned-to-hell Tacko dunk was from...Jones Jr.'s Heat brother D-Wade, of course. We're flagging this.