Jan. 28--Former UCLA guard Zach LaVine posted an incredible, though unofficial, 46-inch vertical leap before he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
He'll need every bit of that lift Feb. 14 when he competes in the slam dunk competition during All-Star weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The 6-foot-5 LaVine will be joined by his Bucks teammate, forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Orlando guard Victor Oladipo and Brooklyn center Mason Plumlee, competing in his home arena.
LaVine is the only rookie of the group, though Antetokounmpo, Oladipo and Plumee all have only one year of NBA of experience.
LaVine is averaging eight points with 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 rebounds in 22.8 minutes for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo, 6 feet 11, has improved on his rookie numbers and is averaging 11.4 points with 6.1 rebounds.
Oladipo. 6 feet 4 is the Magic's third-leading scorer with 16.5 points and leads the team with 1.6 steals a game.
The 6-11 Plumlee has taken over the starting role in Brooklyn ahead of oft-injured Brook Lopez and has the league's third-best field-goal percentage (.594) behind Dallas' Tyson Chandler (.669) and the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan (.731).
