One day after tweeting, he still has some ideas for the dunk contest, Aaron Gordon might have hit a nerve. Speaking on the Run It Back podcast, he talked about how his dunks fare against Vince Carter, arguably the greatest dunker of all time. Does he have a point? Let’s take a look.
Aaron Gordon vs. Vince Carter: Dunk Debate Nobody Saw Coming
During the All-Star weekend, Vince Carter got a 30-minute show talking about previous dunk contests, analyzing dunks, and everything in between. Gordon and Zach LaVine are always mentioned as the greatest dunk contest duel. Their 2016 dunk contest is legendary, with LaVine earning all 50s in the final round, while Gordon earned three 50s, losing narrowly to LaVine. After being asked whether he thinks he got robbed in 2016, Aaron said,
“Personally, I think that was the best one. I think there is a bit of nostalgia that plays into that 2000 dunk contest. Respectfully, Vince Carter is the GOAT. But I think, if you put my four dunks against Vince Carter’s four dunks. Objectively, I think my four dunks are better.”
Earlier in the show, Gordon again clarified whether he might compete in the 2026 dunk contest. He said,
“First, this is a young man’s game. I saw somebody say on Twitter, wow, are you really going to call out dudes that have no cartilage in my knee. C’mon bro. I am not that old, first and foremost. It is a young man’s game. I do still got something in the tank, something in the bag still. But you know, it is a long season, if I am healthy, maybe I will do it.”
Who Got a Higher Score, Aaron Gordon or Vince Carter?
Fans will always be subjective. To be honest, that is the beauty of debates like this one. We cannot even compare the full score because Vince had five dunks in 2000, while Aaron Gordon got six dunks in 2016. The format was different.
But let’s take a look at the score, for argument’s sake. Vince Carter opened the contest with a perfect 50, with one of the most iconic dunks in the content’s history. That first dunk prompted Kenny Smith to say, “Let’s go home, it is over”. He followed it up with a 49-point dunk, and then a third dunk, an alley-oop perfect dunk from Tracy McGrady to get in the final round. He opened the final round with a perfect 50 and then finished off with a 48-point dunk. For his last dunk, he threw it almost from the free-throw lane, but with both hands. After the 2000 dunk contest, Kenny Smith became synonymous with the competition because of his commentary.
In 2016, Gordon opened up with a 45-point dunk before getting 49 to qualify for the final round. And that is where the fun began. In the final round, both LaVine and Gordon traded 50-point perfect dunks. The last one in the first round, and the first three of the final round, are the four dunks that Gordon says are better than Vince’s best four dunks. Gordon had three perfect dunks in the final round and lost on his fourth dunk. He earned only 47 points for that dunk, but it was probably because he had to improvise. He didn’t prepare as many dunks.
Now, fans will always have their opinions, same as Gordon. But if you look at the score, Vince lost only three points in five dunks. Gordon lost nine points on six dunks.
Photo credit: © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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