Slam dunk champ rocks Raptors jersey in Tracy McGrady tribute (VIDEO)
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons paid homage to former Toronto Raptors great Tracy McGrady on Sunday night, during this year’s edition of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Twenty-one years after the famous 2000 dunk contest, which saw terrific dunks from both McGrady and eventual winner Vince Carter, Simons decided to turn back the clock. He was sporting a vintage McGrady jersey from his time with the Raptors for his second dunk, then recreated McGrady’s third dunk from the 2000 contest, which earned him a 49.
Anfernee Simons throws it back to Raptors-era Tracy McGrady from the 2000 dunk contest! pic.twitter.com/e5ynca1YIO
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 8, 2021
Many former performers have honoured famous dunkers in the past by wearing their jerseys while performing dunks.Ā The likes of Josh Smith (Dominique Wilkins jersey), DeMar DeRozan (Vince Carter jersey), and Larry Nance Jr. (Larry Nance Sr. jersey) have all done it before, and Simons was one of the latest to join in on the NBA tradition.
Here is what the original dunk looked liked when McGrady performed it,Ā which earned him a perfect 50 score from the judges.
š Tracy McGrady
š 2000 ā 50 x 1 š„ pic.twitter.com/rCauhTrrBC
ā Sphera Sports (@SpheraSports) February 16, 2019
Simons defeated Indiana Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley and then New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the finals to win the 2021 event.
The event this year was a lightning round of sorts: two dunks in the first round, and one in the final. The five judges, who were all past dunk champions, scored the first round, and voted on the winner in the final.
On the first set of dunks, Stanley and Toppin went between the legs, and Simons showed off his hops by grabbing the ball as it sat on a Nerf hoop above the rectangle on the backboard.
Cassius Stanley, Obi Toppin and Anfernee Simons showing off their bounce early in #ATTSlamDunk! āļø
All of #NBAAllStar in One Night LIVE NOW on TNT pic.twitter.com/PtqZWgVIXm
— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2021
SIMONS GETTING WAYYY UP.. WATCH #NBAALLSTAR ON TNT!
All 3 dunks from 2021 #ATTSlamDunk champion Anfernee Simons. šæ pic.twitter.com/JhSTv7DLj0
— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2021
Overall, the event was seen as a disappointment, as Magic Johnson admitted, potentially due to the lack of fans and lack of household names in the event.Ā However, the McGrady dunk Simons unleashed may have been the best one of the night.