It's official: Aaron Gordon will compete in the 2017 All-Star dunk contest.
The Orlando Magic forward will face off against the Phoenix Suns' Derrick Jones Jr., Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan and the Indiana Pacers' Glenn Robinson III on Feb. 18 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Last year, Gordon and the Minnesota Timberwolves' Zach LaVine staged one of the most exciting duels in dunk contest history. LaVine won after two tiebreakers, but many observers thought Gordon should have been declared the champion.
LaVine decided not to compete this year.
This season has been a challenging season for Gordon. Because of the addition of Serge Ibaka, the Magic shifted Gordon to the small forward spot. Gordon has been up and down offensively, averaging 11.4 points per game and making 29.5 percent of his 3-pointers. But he has performed well as a defender. Coach Frank Vogel assigns Gordon to opponents' top wing scorer, and Gordon has fared well against the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Paul George and James Harden.
Last week, Gordon was asked what it was like to compete in last year's contest.
"It's incredibly special just to be out there," Gordon said. "You trust your skills. To grow up wanting to be in the dunk contest and then finally doing it and performing at such a high level _ it's an incredible feeling.''
