Dwyane Wade: Aaron Gordon Won't Lose Any Sleep Over Slam Dunk Contest Loss
By Liam McKeone
Derrick Jones Jr. walked away as the winner of the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest, but it wasn't without controversy. Aaron Gordon jumped over the 7'5" Tacko Fall for his final dunk and received only a 47 out of a possible 50 points. Dwyane Wade, one of the judges for the contest, was asked about the score following the contest after many believed Gordon was robbed. Here's what he had to say:
“I wasn’t the only one who gave him a 9, let’s talk about that!” ?@DwyaneWade responds to those saying he was biased as a judge in the Dunk Contest. @stance pic.twitter.com/FkBvJ6IWl7
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) February 16, 2020
"I mean, it took nine rounds. It wasn't biased. It got to the point where I wasn't the only one who gave him a nine, let's talk about that," said Wade. "There were three people that gave a nine... Aaron Gordon is not going to lose any sleep over not winning that dunk contest. He's one of our better NBA players and one of our young stars in the league."
"It was entertainment. At the end of the day, as judges, we had to come up with a winner. And it was unfortunate, but we had to."
While Gordon probably won't lose any sleep by the literal definition of the phrase, he clearly wasn't happy about the result after the fact.
After controversial losses in 2016 and 2020 Slam Dunk Contests, Magic’s Aaron Gordon says he’s done with the event for good: “It’s a wrap, bro. I feel like I should have two trophies.” pic.twitter.com/XlggS3aDc1
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 16, 2020
He probably isn't wrong, either. Jones put on quite a show, but it's still shocking Gordon doesn't have a trophy. He's put together some of the best contest dunks of all time in his two appearances. It's a shame that we may not see him there again.