Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe is set to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend, and the rookie offered a glimpse on Monday of what he’ll bring to the annual competition.
Sharpe entered the NBA this season highly touted for his athleticism and ability as a dunker. He has thrown down quite a few highlight-reel dunks this season, and dazzled on an alley-oop from Josh Hart on Monday in a win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The seventh pick recorded 19 points, three rebounds and one steal in 17 minutes off the bench in the 147-127 win. He went 8-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and finished a game-high plus-26 on the court.
Sharpe said afterwards that preparations for the Slam Dunk Contest have begun ahead of the event on Feb. 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has 2-3 dunks currently at his disposal and is working on adding about three more to be fully ready.
Joining Sharpe so far in the event are Houston Rockets guard KJ Martin and Mac McClung of the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League. McClung will be the first player from the G League to compete in the event, while there will likely be at least one more contestant added.
Regardless of the competition, Sharpe is excited about the opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Sharpe said. “It is a dream come true. I always watched the Dunk Contest with Vince Carter, (Michael Jordan), Kobe (Bryant) and all of them dudes so it is a dream come true. I’m looking forward to it.”
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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire