The 2016 NBA Dunk Contest with Hanif Abdurraqib

First Ballot: The Hall of Fame Podcast

In 2016 Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon went head to head in what is now regarded as potentially the greatest dunk contest in NBA history. Featuring a free throw line windmill dunk, a free throw line 'tween the legs dunk, and a miraculous "sitting in the air" dunk. Here to discuss is poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad). On this episode we talk getting lost in vowel sounds, the underappreciated aesthetics in a Zach Lavine dunk, and the surprising beauty and force of an Aaron Gordon dunk.

Timecodes:

(06:44) Anticipating the Greatness of Caitlin Clark

(10:28) Living Long Enough To Have A Favorite “Tyrese” In The NBA

(12:11) The Way That Whitney Houston Lands The “T” Sound in “Heat with somebody”

(18:17) Deep Dive Into NBA Mascot Salaries

(23:26) Aaron Gordon is 6’9” 240lbs

(28:20) The Controversy of This Contest

(30:09) Is This The Best Dunk We've Ever Seen?

(33:40) The High Art and Effortlessness of a Zach Lavine Dunk

(42:40) “Lets go home! It’s Over!”

(47:23) Appreciating Aaron Gordon’s Evolution

(58:18) Greatest NBA Game Winners with 0 Seconds Left

(01:01:23) Lebron Lying About Reading a Book

(01:08:15) Facundo Campazzo’s Absurd Mixtape

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