Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Hamidou Diallo won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in Charlotte, North Carolina by unleashing a honey dip dunk over 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal and then revealing a superman logo underneath his jersey while hanging on the rim.
Diallo used the former NBA star and now commentator as a prop before unleashing a dunk that received perfect 50 with 10s from all five judges.
Diallo defeated Dennis Smith Jr from the New York Knicks in the finals. The other participants this year included John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks and Miles Bridges from the Charlotte Hornets.
The dunk contest judges included a mix of former NBA stars and current WNBA players: Alonzo Mourning, David Thompson, Dee Brown, A’ja Wilson, and Candace Parker.
Failed Flight
The NBA Dunk Contest is one of the most popular aspects of All-Star Weekend. The event is a combination of amazing skill, ingenuity, and theatrics.
John Collins had the most elaborate plan with an homage to the Wright Brothers. His stage set up included a model of the earliest plane and extras dressed in pilot uniforms. Collins even wore a pilot’s cap, googles, and a scarf. He set the stage perfectly, but failed to execute a flawless dunk. His foot clipped a piece of the plane and did not advance to the finals.
John Collins broke the plane 😂#ATTSlamDunk pic.twitter.com/WV16FNCSgL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 17, 2019
Dennis Smith and J Cole
In the opening round, Dennis Smith, Jr. brought out rapper J Cole to assist with a dunk. Smith put on Cole’s jersey from high school and then threw down a soaring dunk.
In the finals, Smith brought Dwyane Wade and Steph Curry to assist him with a dunk. He earned a perfect 50 for jumping over Wade and throwing down an alley-oop from Curry.
“It was great,” Diallo said of winning the competition. “Dennis stole my third dunk. I was going to use D-Wade last. That was my favorite player growing up. But it all worked out.”
Smith, Jr. started the season with the Dallas Mavericks before the Mavs traded him to New York for Kristaps Porzingis. Smith won over next fans with his leaping abilities. He did not have the most elaborate dunks, but he got the most air considering he’s only 6-foot-3.
.@JColeNC lobs and Dennis Smith Jr. GETS WAY UP for the 5⃣0⃣! âœˆï¸ #ATTSlamDunk #StateFarmSaturday on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/FdG9HhXtM9
— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2019
SuperDiallo
In the finals for his first of two dunks, Diallo asked the audience if the tallest person in the building could help him out. O’Neal raised his hand and sauntered onto the court. He placed Shaq, decked out in a suit, in the lane and proceeded to dunk over the 7-foot-1 giant. The feat was never in doubt.
“Yeah, I was sure,” Diallo said. “I wouldn’t have brought him out there if I wasn’t sure.”
Diallo hung on the rim for an extended time, which was long enough for the cameraman to get into position. He then ripped open the front of his jersey to reveal a Superman logo. The judges each awarded Diallo a 10 for his first dunk. He earned a perfect 50 points.
Diallo only needed a 43 on his final dunk to defeated Smith. He picked up a 45 using rapper Quavo to hold the ball above his head.
🚨 SUPERMAN ALERT! 🚨
Hamidou Diallo leaps over @SHAQ and finishes with the HONEY DIP DUNK for a 5⃣0⃣! 😤😤#ATTSlamDunk #StateFarmSaturday @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/izASQbFDYC
— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2019
Who Is Hamidou Diallo?
Diallo, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, is averaging only 4.2 points per game in limited action with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The rookie scored a career-high 18 points earlier in the season against the Sacramento Kings. He hasn’t seen much time playing behind Terrance Ferguson and Dennis Schroder, especially during Russell Westrbook’s record-setting triple-double run.
Diallo grew up in Queens and honed his skills on the blacktops of New York City. He played for Kentucky for a season as a one-and-done player before heading to the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets drafted him in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft before he got traded twice. First to the Charlotte Hornets, and then to the OKC Thunder.
