CHARLOTTE — Rookie Hamidou Diallo showed off his imagination and 44-inch vertical leap to claim the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard needed a 43 to win on his second and last dunk of the finals to beat New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. for the crown. Diallo called on rapper Quavo to hold the ball just above his head, sprinted from the right corner of the court and crammed a walk-off, two-hand jam.
The dunk received a 45.
“Atmosphere was great,” Diallo said. “I just came out and gave the crowd what they were looking for.”
There were props and propellers, guest appearances and perfect 50s, but in the end the night belong to Diallo, a second-round pick out of Kentucky who was a five-star recruit out of high school. — Reuters

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