Basketball fans were bummed out when Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant turned down an invitation to the 2020 Dunk Contest, but the NBA's "Plan B" has us more excited than ever for All Star Saturday night. According to Shams Charania, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon has agreed to participate in the Dunk Contest, joining Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard and Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr.
Gordon, 24, last competed in the Dunk Contest in 2017, but it's his epic performance from 2016 that has fans eager to see what he pulls out the bag at the United Center on February 15th. The man who defeated him in 2016, Zach LaVine, has already been invited to go for this third Dunk Contest crown, but he has not yet announced whether or not he'll join the field.
LaVine has not competed in the Dunk Contest since 2016, when he narrowly beat out Gordon in an instant classic, double-overtime thriller. Fans had already been calling for the hometown favorite to lace 'em up again on All Star Saturday night, and that's only going to escalate further now that his rival has committed to the show.
Check out some of Gordon's greatest Dunk Contest performances in the video embedded below while we await LaVine's decision.