Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo used NBA great Shaquille O’Neal as a prop to record a perfect score and capture the NBA Slam Dunk title on Saturday.
The high-flying rookie put out a call over the loudspeaker for the “biggest person in the building” and out strolled the 7-foot-1 O’Neal who is considered one of the greatest players in league history.
Diallo positioned O’Neal four feet from the basket, and sailed over the former Los Angeles Laker to finish with his right arm stuffed inside the rim. He brought the crowd at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina to its feet and the judges responded by giving him a perfect 50 score.
The Slam Dunk event was one of several skills contests featured on Saturday night as part of the build-up to Sunday’s 2019 NBA All-Star game, where Kevin Durant scored 31 points and picked up the MVP award as Team LeBron rallied from a 20-point deficit to outgun Team Giannis 178-164.
“The atmosphere was great,” Diallo said after winning the title. “I just came out and gave the crowd what they were looking for.”
Diallo needed a 43 to win on his second and last dunk of the finals to beat New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith, who finished runner-up.
Diallo also called on US rapper Quavious Marshall (Quavo) to hold the ball just above his head, sprinted from the right corner of the court and crammed a two-handed jam.
“I was a little nervous,” Diallo confessed.
The Knicks’ Dennis Smith Jr., Diallo, the Hornets’ Miles Bridges and the Hawks’ John Collins were the participants of the dunk event.
Diallo’s dunk over Shaquille O’Neal, hanging on the rim by his elbow and then tearing open his jersey to reveal a “Superman” shirt underneath, was clearly the highlight of the night.
You can watch the entire sequence here:
(With AFP inputs)
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!