What Gordon did was a tailor-made walk-off. So who was the culprit? On Thursday, the NBA announced the five judges that will be deciding who wins the 2020 Dunk Contest, headlined by Chicago native and future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. This is to take nothing away from Zach LaVine, who edged Gordon in 2016, or Derrick Jones Jr., who beat out Gordon on Saturday night in Chicago. What did I get, 47? (AP Photo/David Banks) The answer is the judges – who, according to a report, tried to collude to extend the dunk-off to another sudden-death round, but failed to collude correctly: "We thought it was going to be tied. I get the theatre of it all. ", Another judge, Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker, confirmed that this was indeed the plan, instructing Shelburne to "check the scorecard.". Aaron Gordon was robbed by the slame dunk contest judges. ... NBA 2020 All-Star Dunk Contest was Exciting and Controversial. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | Gordon ultimately lost after his sixth and final dunk, but apparently that was not what the judges wanted. © 2004-2021 CBS Interactive. What are we doing?” pic.twitter.com/8sGMORUwUp, There isn't really much more to say than that. 24 on his chest was always going to boost the love for whatever dunk he did, and even if going back to putting on the Superman cape was the laziest move imaginable, any kind of storyline in a theatre begging for any form of entertainment is going to be rewarded. -- to not have an All-Star slam dunk championship on his resume after what he pulled off in 2016, a make-up call was definitely in order. They went down to the wire with the Cavs in the Finals. Boseman spent part of All-Star Weekend watching the game, but he also took part in the festivities. Two guys going toe to toe with some of the most ridiculous dunks anyone's ever seen, to the point that the TNT commentators, baffled as to how to differentiate between two basically perfect dunkers, were calling for a split title -- only for Gordon to finally say, 'OK, enough of this, I'm just going to jump over a 7-foot-5 dude because the crowd is calling for it' and hammer it home on his first try.Â, In the end, Jones Jr. was awarded 48 of the possible 50 points for his final dunk, while Gordon was given a 47. Both those guys were incredible in their respective contests. Aaron Gordon during the 2020 NBA All-Star slam dunk contest. Jr. Look at the collective final-round show these two put on: Here's every dunk in the epic final round between Derrick Jones Jr and Aaron Gordon #nbadunkcontest pic.twitter.com/vCrphbnc39, That is incredible theatre, but all great shows need a great ending. One judge score in the 2020 NBA All-Star dunk contest gave Aaron Gordon a lower score than planned. Come on, man. NBA All Star Game Dwyane Wade, Scottie Pippen Headline Judges for 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Megan Armstrong Senior Analyst I February 13, 2020 Comments Jones Jr.'s final dunk -- a legit windmill from one step inside the free-throw line -- was arguably better than Gordon jumping over Tacko, as crazy as that sounds. According to Ramona Shelburne and Malika Andrews of ESPN, the judges had initially planned for the final round to end in a tie. Aaron Gordon was robbed by the slame dunk contest judges. If you missed any of the action, check out the best highlights from the 2020 … Who they would have picked in that setting is unknowable at this point, but such a solution clearly would have made more sense than allowing one judge to swing the outcome as appears to have been the case in reality. But again, come on, man. #ATTSlamDunk #StateFarmSaturday on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/ifxkWuI4gY. “I don't even know who gave me the 9s,” he said afterward. Gordon is coming back to the dunk contest after taking two years off from the event. The 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest featured several 50s and a controversial ending. Wade appears to be the obvious candidate on paper. "But somebody didn't do it right. (AP Photo/David Banks) The answer is the judges – who, according to a report, tried to collude to extend the dunk-off to another sudden-death round, but failed to collude correctly: Again, this is not to take anything away from Jones. The 2020 NBA Dunk Contest ended as so many dunk contests before it had - with a controversy over the judging. Has the participation trophy crowd really made it into the professional ranks? The 2020 NBA Slam Dunk contest saw Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. take home the crown, edging out Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a finale for the ages. In the NBA, there are make-up calls all the time. He and Jones played together for the Heat last season, so his motive in handing the trophy to Jones appears clear.