Video: Zach LaVine apparently does 360 dunks from the free throw line now
As Zach LaVine lined up for his final attempt of a 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the ages, Kenny Smith pondered the possibility of a 360-degree dunk from the free throw line, and NBA on TNT cohost Charles Barkley promptly declared, “First of all, he’s not going to do that. That’s impossible.”
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Instead, LaVine converted an equally ridiculous between-the-legs dunk from the line, clinching his second straight dunk contest title and opening our minds to a whole new realm of dunk possibility.
It only seems natural, then, that should LaVine decide to enter a third straight dunk contest to start his career, he would attempt a 360 from the free throw line and remove any doubt left in Barkley’s mind. And if Andrew Wiggins’ Snapchat is any indication, that’s precisely what LaVine is planning.
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From what appears to be the end of shootaround before their Timberwolves take on the Pelicans in New Orleans, Wiggins posted a five-second video of his Minnesota teammate completing the feat.
The caption on the video, accompanied by a “thinking face” emoji, says it all: “3 peat?” wrote Wiggins.
Not even haters can say this is fake, given all the death-defying dunks we’ve seen from LaVine, although they will say he stepped on the free throw line. Counterargument: The dude actually appears to slow up at the end before throwing it through, as if to suggest he might have jumped too far.
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At any rate, Aaron Gordon better get started on a 720 or something unprecedented if he hopes to unseat LaVine as the heir air to the throne. It seems inevitable that the 2017 contest will be a rematch between the two, because anything else would be a letdown. While we’re at it, here’s one more plea to pit those two against a 40-year-old Vince Carter, who said last month “it’s possible” he could compete for the first time since his epic 2000 performance. Then, LaVine reminded us, nothing is impossible.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
