NEW YORK -- 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks will attempt to become the first three-time winner of the competition when he defends his title on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 13, at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET on TNT) in Dallas. Robinson will compete against the Charlotte Bobcats' Gerald Wallace and the Los Angeles Lakers' Shannon Brown.
The 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk participants were unveiled today at a special event at New York's Pennsylvania Station, where artist Dan Dunn brought each player's image to life in a speed painting display on giant canvases.
| 2010 SPRITE SLAM DUNK COMPETITORS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| * - indicates 2009 winner ** - will compete in the NBA All-Star Dunk-In to determine fourth dunker |
The Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan and the Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Gordon will compete in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In, a single-round slam dunk competition that will be held at halftime of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 12. Fans will be able to vote via SMS text message and at NBA.com to determine who will advance to the Sprite Slam Dunk the following night.
In Phoenix last year, Robinson, who also won the event in 2006 in Houston, edged defending champion Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, and in the process converted a dunk that became an instant classic. Robinson, who won the 2006 event by dunking over 1986 champ Spud Webb, used Howard as a prop this time around, slamming the ball through the hoop after leaping over the 6-11 center. Robinson's final dunk was a reverse alley-oop off the bounce that he brought down to his knees before stuffing it through.
"From capes and kryptonite to blowing out candles and leaping over legends, Sprite Slam Dunk has produced some of the most creative moments in NBA All-Star history," said Ellen Lucey, director, sports marketing, Coca-Cola North America. "It's only fitting that we reveal this year's dunkers with a spark of creativity as Nate, Gerald and Shannon prepare to wow fans by pushing their performance to new heights in Dallas."
The only back-to-back Slam Dunk champions were Chicago's Michael Jordan (1987, 1988) and the Golden State Warriors' Jason Richardson (2002, 2003). The only other two-time winners were Atlanta's Dominique Wilkins (1985, 1990) and Miami's Harold Minor (1993, 1995).
The two dunkers with the highest first round scores will advance to the final round. The dunker with the lowest total score from the first round will compete first in the final round. Dunks then will alternate until each player has completed two. Time limit rules still apply. In the final round, fan voting polls will open via SMS TXT message and at NBA.com. The combined results from SMS TXT voting and NBA.com will determine the champion.
The Sprite Slam Dunk and T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam are part of NBA All-Star 2010, which also includes the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In, Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout; Taco Bell Skills Challenge; Haier Shooting Stars; NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas; and the 59th NBA All-Star Game.
Sprite, the world's leading lemon-lime soft drink, has been the official soft drink of the NBA since 1994 and the title partner of the All-Star Slam Dunk competition since 2003.
Below is a list of previous winners Sprite Slam Dunk winners
1984 -- Larry Nance, Phoenix
1985 -- Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta
1986 -- Spud Webb, Atlanta
1987 -- Michael Jordan, Chicago
1988 -- Michael Jordan, Chicago
1989 -- Kenny Walker, New York
1990 -- Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta
1991 -- Dee Brown, Boston
1992 -- Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix
1993 -- Harold Miner, Miami
1994 -- Isaiah Rider, Minnesota
1995 -- Harold Miner, Miami
1996 -- Brent Barry, L.A. Clippers
1997 -- Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
2000 -- Vince Carter, Toronto
2001 -- Desmond Mason, Seattle
2002 -- Jason Richardson, Golden State
2003 -- Jason Richardson, Golden State
2004 -- Fred Jones, Indiana
2005 -- Josh Smith, Atlanta
2006 -- Nate Robinson, New York
2007 -- Gerald Green, Boston
2008 -- Dwight Howard, Orlando
2009 -- Nate Robinson, New York
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