Anfernee Simons blows rim a kiss, wins dunk contest (video)

NBC Sports

2021-03-08 12:25:12

• Blake Griffin Dunks for First Time Since 2019 in Nets Debut

  Shortly after he signed with the Nets, ESPN’s Malika Andrews asked Blake Griffin if fans would see any “vintage dunks” from him in Brooklyn. “I promise you, I still can,” Griffin replied. It should seem ridiculous to question the dunking ability of a 32-year-old former dunk contest champion, but there...Read Full StoryDunkingNbaBasketballBrooklyn NetsThe NetsFirst TimeNets DebutESPNMalika AndrewsVintageAttackBlake Griffin

• Blake Griffin Reveals True Feelings on His Dunk Drought

  Much has been made about Blake Griffin’s arrival in Brooklyn, where the six-time All-Star adds an extra dose of star power to a Nets team that also includes three bona-fide superstars in Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Griffin, the former Piston, signed with the Nets earlier this month after agreeing to a contract buyout with Detroit.Read Full StoryBasketballDunkingNbaNBABarstool Sports '@ESPNThe Orlando MagicNewsdayPistonsPMTGreg LoganRumorsStar PowerThe NetsDroughtBlake GriffinKevin DurantJames HardenKyrie IrvingSteve NashLebron James

• Joel Embiid’s knee injury and déjà vu; am I destined to be a little nervous when he next slam dunks?

  “Seen my dreams unfold, nightmares come true. It was time to marry the game and I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’”. I thought of local artist and legend Meek Mill when Joel Embiid came down hard on his left leg last week, because before we had the information a subsequent MRI would reveal, (that Embiid’s knee tendons were in fact intact, that the dominant big man did not have the type of knee injury that would swiftly require season-ending surgery) I was terrified that his dream season might turn into our worst collective nightmare. We had just spent the last week enjoying stories about how we have a front-runner for league MVP, wondering about his SuperMax eligibility, and the team’s best overall standings in the East. Then this?!Read Full StoryDéjà VuPhiladelphia 76ersDunkingNbaBasketballKnee InjuryAnkle InjuryKnee SurgerySlam DunksMRITwitterWashington WizardsLakersESPNYouTubeJoel EmbiidMeek MillDoc RiversAdrian WojnarowskiTim DuncanMarcus Morris Sr.Lebron JamesBen SimmonsRamona ShelburneKevin Garnett

• Dunking on the British Is the Only Thing That Can Still Bring Americans Together

  Even if you weren’t glued to your screen on Sunday night like the rest of America, you’ve more than likely seen the highlights from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tell-all interview with Oprah. Bombshells included an unnamed member of the royal family expressing concerns over baby Archie’s skin color, Markle talking openly about her suicidal thoughts and how no one in “the Firm” would help, Tyler Perry housing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in one of his California homes, and the fact that Prince Charles stopped taking Harry’s calls. The interview ultimately showed the British Royal family for what it really is: an outdated institution whose power relies on wealth, imperialism and racism, a truth John Oliver, for one, already articulated in alarmingly prescient detail about three years ago.Read Full StoryBritish ImperialismAmerican ExceptionalismDunkingTerrible ThingsBritish Royal FamilyUkTrue LoveFunny PeopleFunny MemesHappy PeopleThe Royal FamilyConservativesBritsUSWNTThe Boston Tea PartyMeghan MarkleOprahTyler PerryPrince CharlesJohn OliverBen ShapiroErick EricksonAlex MorganFranklin LeonardDana Schwartz

• LeBron James, Zion Williamson, Zach LaVine and Other All-Stars Should Just Jump Into the Dunk Contest

  LeBron James and Zion Williamson | Jonathan Bachman/Getty ImagesThe Slam Dunk contest will take place during halftime of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game tonight. Obi Toppin, Anfernee Simons and Cassius Staley make up the field for this year's contest. They are averaging a combined 14 points per game this season in 32.6 combined minutes per game. It begs the question, what are we even doing here? Do you think Shaq could pick 66% of these guys out of a lineup? No matter how good these guys might be at dunking, there is no reason to care about this contest. So how do we fix this right now, on the fly, hours from the contest? The All-Stars dunk.The Slam Dunk contest is both awesome and incredibly pointless. We love the dunk contest because Michael Jordan did it and then Vince Carter perfected it, but about half the time the contest is forgettable and the winner is a footnote. Tonight is a once in a lifetime opportunity for guys to just wander onto the court and show off. Under normal circumstances the actual All-Stars are courtside in street clothes. So when the fans get into it and people start getting excited, guys say things in the heat of the moment that they don't really mean. Like back in 2009 when Cheryl Miller got LeBron James to say he was going to dunk in the next year's contest. Obviously, that never happened.Tonight though? There will be two former dunk contest champions dressed and warmed up, watching from the bench. Why should Donovan Mitchell ('18 champ) and Zach LaVine ( '15 and '16 champ) stand by and let these guys win this trophy? Not to mention Zion Williamson, the player that everyone actually wants to see the most. And LeBron near the end of his never-ending prime. Why can't he go out there and throw down something crazy because he will never be in this spot again. Next year it goes back to All-Star Saturday Night. Back to street clothes and people wishing he had entered just one dunk contest in his career. No disrespect to Simons and Stanley and Toppin (OK, maybe a little), but nobody is asking for them. The actual All-Stars should step up and put on a show. Put their own money on the line and then give it to HBCUs. What is the point of the dunk contest? It seems unclear some years, but I can't imagine it's to give the same trophy Michael Jordan won twice to a guy averaging single-digit minutes per game. The real stars can save the dunk contest tonight. They can make it cool again. Hopefully, adrenaline takes over and that happens, because if not now, then there might be not turning back.DunkingNbaBasketballNBAHe Got GameChicago BullsAll-Star Saturday NightShaqTonightChampFieldCassius StaleySingle-digit MinutesAdrenalineLebron JamesZion WilliamsonZach LavineObi ToppinAnfernee SimonsMichael JordanVince CarterCheryl MillerDonovan Mitchell

• Frank Phillips vs. MCC Baseball

  Academy Boys Advance With Double Overtime Thriller over New Waverly. Lorena Boys Fall to East Chambers in Regional Semi-Finals. Latest Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Mike LaPoint. Journey to The Tourney: Is This Kim Mulkey's Best Coaching Job? (TV video) Businesses plan to relocate after flood damage. Journey to The Tourney:...Read Full StoryCoachingBearsWaverlyBaylor Men 's BasketballVs. MCCFrank PhillipsMike LaPointLunch Killeen FriendsDouble Overtime ThrillerLorenaTempleGenerous DonationDunkingVideoKilleenKim MulkeyJared ButlerDrew Barrymore

• Report: Pelicans star Zion Williamson makes final decision on 2021 Slam Dunk Contest

  Zion Williamson will be headed to Atlanta to participate in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. He will not, however, be one of the contestants in the Slam Dunk Contest. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports Williamson has declined to participate in the competition. Williamson left the door ajar when asked...Read Full StoryNbaNBADuke BasketballThe LeagueLone StarYahoo SportsNew Orleans PelicansDaytonBoston CelticsDunk ContestBasketball FansAtlantaChris HaynesDunking ClinicsJim EichenhoferZion WilliamsonObi ToppinCassius StanleyAnfernee SimonsAnthony EdwardsJaylen BrownMiles Bridges

• Ja Morant Will (Probably) Never Appear in the Dunk Contest

  As one of the most fearless posterizers in the NBA, just about every basketball fan would love to see Ja Morant enter the Dunk Contest. But the Grizzlies star point guard is completely cool watching it from home this year. And chances are with the way he talks about it, we may never see him in it. Kind of like how LeBron James has famously declined to participate in it over his 18 years despite millions of pleas from dunk enthusiasts.Read Full StoryNbaBasketballDunkingNBA All Star GameNBA PlayersHe Got GameGo GameThe Dunk ContestGrizzliesDunk EnthusiastsNBA ChampionshipsStarGamesCongratsPleasJa MorantLebron JamesJamesZion WilliamsonAron BaynesLil BabyLil DurkDrakeJay ZNba Youngboy

• New Video Emerges Of 7-Foot-9-Inch Teenager Abiodun Adegoke Dunking Without Jumping

  Forget Tacko Fall, there's a new man mountain basketball player on the block. Say hello to Abiodun Adegoke. The 7-foot-9-inch viral sensation is currently sending social media into meltdown - and you can see exactly why. Despite still being a teenager, he's already two inches taller than the legendary Manute...Read Full StoryNbaDunkingLiverpoolNBA VideoViral VideoLove And BasketballVideo FootageTikTokSPORTbible AustraliaNRLAFLFox SportsThe Premier LeagueA-LeagueMatildasTacko FallManute BolShaquille O'neal

• Anfernee Simons set to participate in NBA Slam Dunk Contest

  Whatever plans you had for March 7th, they better include watching NBA All-Star events. Not only will Damian Lillard be playing in the All-Star game with Robert Covington expected to be among the Skills Competition participants, but guard Anfernee Simons will be in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, as reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.Read Full StoryNba All-starNew York [email protected] Trail BlazersIndiana PacersDunk ContestNBA All-Star EventsAnt DunkTeammatesDan SheldonElite AthleticismMarch 7thAnfernee SimonsDamian LillardRobert CovingtonAdrian WojnarowskiObi ToppinCassius StanleyChanning FryeTerry StottsJa MorantDerrick Jones Jr.