Donovan Mitchell wasn't supposed to be in the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He was the replacement for Aaron Gordon due to injury. The Jazz rookie, however, came prepared to show everybody that he should have been involved in the contest from the start. Everybody knows about his in-game dunk ability, but what about in a contest setting?
Mitchell didn't disappoint. He started off with an incredible dunk that he threw off a second backboard and completed with a windmill. It actually felt even harder than it was intended, because it hit the rim on the way down. Decent start.
Then, in an homage to former Jazz player Darrell Griffith, Mitchell dunked over three people, including comedian Kevin Hart, and cocked back for a powerful slam.
Mitchell's third dunk was arguably his most difficult of the night. He threw it off the backboard and then caught it at its lowest point. He proceeded to bring the ball all the way back with so much power it felt like the rim was going to come off.
Don gets his second 50 of the night 👀#VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/2xCB6YHm9K — Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 18, 2018
Finally, Mitchell capped off the evening with another homage. This time to Vince Carter. It's the famous reverse 360 windmill dunk. It didn't have quite the height or power to it, but the dunk was great all the same.
Mitchell wins the contest as a rookie. Impressive against a field of dunkers that brought out their best stuff. Larry Nance Jr. had a great double-tap dunk that Mitchell was forced to top with the Carter homage. In the first round, Dennis Smith Jr. brought out a sick reverse dunk between his legs where he switched to his off hand. Mitchell had to top that too.
In the end, though, it was Mitchell who came out on top. Congrats to him!
