Honestly, if you ask any basketball fan about the 2016 All-Star Weekend, they don’t talk about the game. They talk about the
Aaron Gordon slam dunk that basically broke the internet before we even used that phrase for everything. It was Toronto. The
air was freezing outside, but inside the Air Canada Centre, things were getting weirdly competitive. Most people think of the
dunk contest as a fluff event—something stars skip because they're worried about their knees or their brand. Then Aaron Gordon
showed up and decided to sit down in mid-air.
Seriously. He sat down.
We’ve seen guys jump over cars. We’ve seen them jump over 7-footers. But we had never seen a human being reach the apex of a jump,
tuck their legs into a perfect sitting position while clearing a mascot, and then fire the ball under both hamstrings. It
wasn’t just a dunk; it was a glitch in the matrix.
The Night the Judging Died
There’s a lot of revisionist history about 2016. People like to say Zach LaVine "stole" it. That’s not quite right. LaVine
was throwing down 50s from the free-throw line like it was a layup line. He was smooth. He was graceful. But Aaron Gordon was
doing stuff that felt like it required a physics degree to understand.
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Gordon didn’t just use props; he used the Orlando Magic mascot, Stuff the Magic Dragon, as a literal launchpad. The most
famous Aaron Gordon slam dunk of that night involved the mascot spinning on a hoverboard. Think about the timing
required for that. If the mascot is an inch off, Gordon clips him and goes tumbling. Instead, he timed the rotation,
grabbed the ball, and did a 360 windmill that felt heavy. Like, you could feel the rim shaking through the TV screen.
The "sitting dunk" is the one everyone remembers, though. He cleared the mascot—who stands about 6-foot-something—while
putting the ball under both legs. Most guys do a "between the legs" dunk by switching hands. Gordon literally passed
the ball under his butt while his knees were at eye level.
He didn't win.
They went to a dunk-off. Then another dunk-off. Eventually, the judges—which included legends like Shaq and Dikembe
Mutombo—seemed to run out of scores to give. They kept handing out 50s until Gordon finally "lost" on a dunk that
was arguably still a 50. It felt less like a loss and more like a stalemate where the guy who went last just happened
to get the trophy.
Why 2020 Was Actually Worse
If 2016 was a legendary battle, 2020 was a flat-out crime. This is where the Aaron Gordon slam dunk saga gets
dark. By this point, Gordon was older, stronger, and somehow even more creative. He went up against Derrick Jones Jr.
in Chicago.
The energy was different.
Gordon racked up five straight perfect scores of 50. Five. In a row. He was hitting dunks that made the 2016 ones
look like warmups. For his final act, he brought out Tacko Fall. Now, for context, Tacko is 7-foot-5. He is a giant
among giants. Gordon didn't just jump over him; he cleared the back of his neck and slammed it home.
The crowd lost it. The players on the sideline were falling over each other.
Then the score came up: 47.
Dwyane Wade, one of the judges, gave him a 9. The conspiracy theories started immediately because Jones Jr. was a
Miami Heat player at the time, and Wade is... well, D-Wade. It was messy. Gordon was visibly done. He basically
retired from the dunk contest right then and there, saying he felt like he should have two trophies at home.
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He's right.
The Technical Reality of His Vertical
What's crazy is that Aaron Gordon isn't even a "small" dunker. Usually, the contest favors guys like Nate Robinson
or Spud Webb because small guys look like they're flying higher. Gordon is 6-foot-8 and weighs over 230 pounds.
When he hits the air, he’s moving a lot of mass.
Experts who break down verticality—like the guys over at P3 (Peak Performance Project)—have noted that Gordon’s
mechanics are freakish. He has this "double jump" twitch where he doesn't seem to lose momentum when he gathers.
When he did the Aaron Gordon slam dunk over Tacko Fall, his center of mass had to reach nearly 4 feet off
the ground just to clear Tacko’s shoulders.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think Gordon is just a "contest dunker." That's the biggest myth. If you watch him now with the Denver Nuggets,
he’s become the ultimate "dunker spot" weapon for Nikola Jokic. He’s not doing 360s under his legs in the middle of
a playoff game, but the way he dunks is still different.
He catches lobs that are thrown behind him.
He dunks through contact that would send other forwards to the free-throw line.
There's a specific dunk he had against the Suns on Christmas Day a couple of years back—a transition poster on Landry Shamet—that
many consider the greatest in-game dunk of the last decade. It wasn't about the flair. It was about the sheer,
unadulterated power. He basically ran through a human being to get to the rim.
The Legacy of a Non-Champion
It’s weirdly poetic that the most influential dunker of the modern era never actually won the trophy. In a way,
not winning made him more of a legend. If he had won in 2016, we might have forgotten it by now. Instead, we
debate it every single February.
He changed the "prop" era of the dunk contest. Before him, props were often cheesy—like jumping over a Kia or
blowing out a candle on a cupcake. Gordon made props functional. He used them to create angles that were
physically impossible without the prop being exactly where it was.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to truly appreciate the Aaron Gordon slam dunk history, don't just watch the highlights in
standard speed. You have to go to YouTube and find the slow-motion breakdowns.
- Watch his head level: On the 2016 sitting dunk, his head is literally level with the rim. Most players'
heads are 4-6 inches below the rim at their peak. - Look at the "load" time: Notice how quickly he goes from his penultimate step to being in the air. It’s
almost instantaneous. - Check the 2020 judge reactions: If you watch the footage of the 2020 scores being announced, look at the
other judges' faces when Wade's score pops up. They knew it was a robbery in real-time.
Aaron Gordon might not have the hardware, but he owns the highlight reel. He's the only player in NBA history
to have eight perfect 50-point dunks and zero trophies. That's a stat that will probably never be broken.
To really understand the impact, go back and watch the 2016 contest from start to finish. Don't just watch
Gordon; watch the reactions of the other NBA stars sitting courtside. When you see Steph Curry and Kyle
Lowry looking like they've seen a ghost, you'll understand why that night in Toronto changed basketball
culture forever. High-flyers come and go, but Gordon's ability to stay in the air long enough to eat a
sandwich and then dunk is something we won't see again for a long time.