"I was kind of surprised," said Clippers guard Eric Gordon of being selected for the first-ever dunk-in for a spot in the NBA All-Star dunk contest. "I'm not really a big-time dunker. I might get one off every other game or something... My family thought I'd be in the 3-point [contest]."
Gordon, who has a stocky 6-foot-3 frame and is known more for his deep ball, will face Raptors 6-foot-7 high-flyer DeMar DeRozan.
"He's super athletic," Gordon said of DeRozan, who was the McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk contest winner in 2008. "That's his type of game. That's what he does best -- dunking."
In the dunk-in, each participant will have two dunks each, with a two-minute time limit for each dunk. The event will take place at halftime of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Feb. 12. Fans will vote via text and at NBA.com for the dunker who will move on to the main event on Feb. 13.
Gordon said he hasn't had a chance to plan out his attack or if he will use props.
"I'm definitely going to surprise some people," he said. "A lot of my teammates and family will have input. I'm going to do something different."
Davis seems to think Gordon has a chance.
"I have seen him in practice," Davis said. "He has something up his sleeves. He's going to do well."
In what may be a surprise in Los Angeles is Shannon Brown having not been contacted by the NBA to be a contestant. The Lakers guard has had his fair share of highlight slams, which can be seen at www.letshannondunk.com.
Brown has made it clear he still wants to be in the contest.
"It's something I want," he said Friday. "We're supposed to find out by Monday. That's the announcement to the world."
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