Jamie Jacquez Jr., the rookie forward of the Miami Heat, came into the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest with the lowest odds. Yet, he started off the proceedings with a stunning dunk over 7-foot-tall NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal! The Slam Dunk contest has been losing its glamor due to the absence of star power. While there were mixed reactions tonight, Jaquez’s first dunk was one of the highlights.

The 4x NBA champion recorded it all on his ‘Shaq Cam’ as Jaquez jumped over him to deliver a one-handed windmill. It got a score of 47.4 out of 50 from the judges, and Shaq was clearly impressed with it as well. It was a full-circle moment for the 23-year-old, who used to dunk like Shaq as a kid.

The Heat rookie has been turning heads since he arrived in the NBA. He was already a top prospect coming off UCLA, and his performances in the 2023-24 season have only added to his growing popularity. Although a rookie, Jaquez has started in 16 of the 49 games he’s appeared in. He is also a candidate for the Rookie of the Year honors this season. However, it wasn’t meant to be for him tonight.

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Jaquez’s second dunk got a 46.8 score, which was less than both Jaylen Brown’s and Mac McClung’s scores. The reigning champion repeated Jaquez’s feat in the final, which earned widespread praise.

The AT&T Slam Dunk Contest finishes with flair

This year’s slam dunk contest was an event everyone was looking forward to. They hoped that the superstar element would bring back some of the cherished yet forgotten memories. Unfortunately, Jaylen Brown‘s performance did not live up to the mark everyone had set it up for.

But the defending champion, Mac McClung, came back to deliver another thrilling performance. His final dunk for the night also featured Shaq. The big man was handed a McClung jersey to wear while holding the ball behind his head. The G-League guard jumped over O’Neal for a game-winning reverse dunk.

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Just like that, the judges dropped 50s and the 25-year-old was crowned the Slam Dunk Contest champion back-to-back. And he left $105,000 richer! Not bad, wouldn’t you say?

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