Suns forward Derrick Jones Jr. elevates, places second in NBA Slam Dunk Contest
Feb 18, 2017, 8:42 PM | Updated: 9:34 pm
Derrick Jones Jr. was the least recognizable name to participate in NBA All-Star Saturday Night, but he made sure the world knew who he was by the end of it.
Jones placed second in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, falling to Indiana Pacers forward Glenn Robinson III in the finals.
Jones’ first dunk was over four of his buddies, including teammates Marquese Chriss, Alan Williams and Devin Booker. He missed on the first attempt, but made the second attempt.
45? 🤔🤔🤔#VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/TxskIAdDhh
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 19, 2017
Booker did not appear to be pleased with the spot he was in.
Derrick Jones Jr. dunks in the Supreme x Nike Air More Uptempo in gold #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/hDSRXNhpVM
— B/R Kicks (@br_kicks) February 19, 2017
With the crowd quieting down, Jones woke the building back up with a thunderous between-the-legs throwdown. Booker provided the assist for the perfect 50.
50…EASY. #WeArePHX#VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/4gxAwqSloF
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2017
Jones advanced to the finals, but misses cost him in the final. He failed to convert on all three attempts on his first dunk and took two attempts on his last dunk of the finals.
.@TheRea1DJones with the through-the-legs 💥 pic.twitter.com/d6jLJk6ifl
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 19, 2017
Jones earned another perfect score for his last dunk, but Robinson wound up winning the trophy.
BOOKER DONE IN A HURRY
Unlike last year when Devin Booker made it to the finals of the three-point shootout on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, the second-year shooting guard out of Kentucky had a quick night.
Coming up against former Suns point guard Isaiah Thomas in the first round of the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Booker was eliminated in a hurry, barely staying in the picture to keep up with Thomas.
Thomas takes out Devin Booker. pic.twitter.com/ykKDuNtfED
— BallUpNBA ™ (@BallUpNBA) February 19, 2017
Thomas went on to be eliminated by Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward, who lost to New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis, the winner of the event.
