Fresh from his Valentine’s Day conquest of the NBA Slam Dunk contest, Minnesota Timberwolves 19-year-old sensation Zach LaVine confidently believes that he can beat Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James in a dunk contest if and when that happens.
LaVine recognizes that LeBron may be the best player in the NBA today but he is willing to take his chances against the King in a dunk competition if given the chance, reports the Bleacher Report.
The Timberwolves’ forward was simply awesome during the 2015 NBA Slam Dunk competition, besting Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic in the finals. His victory and the competition itself was regarded as the best slam dunk contest since Vince Carter showed complete dominance of the competition during the 2000 NBA All-Star weekend.
He has the theatrics and jaw-dropping finishes that nearly had everyone in the Barclays Center in great amazement and practically begging for more.
Zach LaVine’s two dunks in the preliminaries were both perfect as he stamped his class on the field of four competitors that included himself, Oladipo, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Mason Plumlee of the Brooklyn Nets.
His self-alley oops leading to an under-the-leg and behind-the-back monstrous dunks had the Barclays Center crowd roaring in delight that it was almost a foregone conclusion who would win the contest. Before the competition, LaVine was already hyped to win.
Only Victor Oladipo, with his 540-degree reverse slam gave LaVine a strong challenge during the preliminaries but right after the first dunk of the Orlando Magic point guard during the finals, the crowd already knew who the winner is.
Respect for LeBron
On Sunday, Zach LaVine was at the ESPN SportsCenter to talk and discuss about his recent triumph in the 2015 NBA Slam Dunk competition the night before.
When asked if he could beat LeBron James in a dunk contest, LaVine said that he knows that LeBron has got some stuff that he has not showed the world just yet. He also described the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar as one of the freakiest athletes of all time.
LaVine added that he is confident enough to go with himself if and when he and LeBron James go up against each other in a dunk contest.
At this point however, it is very unlikely that LeBron will take on LaVine’s dunking challenge.
Since he started his career in the NBA, he has been wooed many times over to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk contest but he has refused to.
At 30 years of age, LeBron James may have already gone past through the stage of getting excited over the thought of winning a slam dunk contest. After already winning two NBA championships with the Miami Heat, the King is always looking at the biggest prize of them all every year – the NBA championship, more than any other personal accomplishments.