As a fellow NBA junkie like yourself, I can easily say that All-Star Weekend is my favorite time of the season. Apart from all the different competitions and events, it is the family aspect of the weekend that I cherish the most. Despite which team you support, this weekend is the one time of the year where everyone comes together as a part of the NBA family to cheer and witness the amazing talent before us.
Bucks participating in the 2020 All-Star Weekend
2020 All-Star Weekend will be even better for Milwaukee fans, as the Bucks are ever so present in this year’s edition. Apart from Giannis Antetokounmpo as a team captain, Khris Middleton will also be playing in the All-Star Game, as well as participating in the Skills Challenge. As for Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge, unfortunately there will be no Bucks present, though I think Donte DiVincenzo is a major snub from the competition. However, just because the Bucks do not have anyone in the Rising Stars Challenge, that doesn’t mean they will not be present during Friday night’s festivities. Milwaukee’s very own co-owner, Marc Lasry, will be participating in his 5th Celebrity Game. But the event I will be glued to the tv for is the Dunk Contest as the Bucks’ Pat Connaughton looks to steal the show.
Milwaukee Bucks & the Dunk Contest
Pat Connaughton will be the fourth Buck in history to participate in the Dunk Contest. He will be joining no other than his current teammate and NBA MVP, Giannis, who participated in the 2015 edition. Though Pat will not look to mimic Giannis’ performance as he finished with two scores of 30 & 35, thus failing to advance from the first round. In fact, Pat can be the first Buck in history to advance out of the first round of the Dunk Contest. Before Giannis, Ray Allen was eliminated in the first round of the 1997 edition and Paul Pressey was eliminated in the first round in 1986. Pat, however, looks to add something unique to the competition and that is his elite athleticism.
Pat’s Athleticism & Journey to the 2020 Dunk Contest
“This white boy got bounce,” said Eric Bledsoe when describing Pat Connaughton earlier this year. But it is worth noting that this “bounce” and athleticism of Pat didn’t just appear when he came to the NBA, it is something that has been inside him since the beginning of his youth. From an early age, Pat was a three-star athlete playing basketball, baseball, and football. This athleticism remained with him throughout college and the 2015 NBA Draft Combine, where he recorded the highest vertical jump of the class. Measuring at 44 inches, it was the second-highest vertical jump in the Combine’s 16-year history.
With his electrifying dunks in the NBA, word began to spread that he should participate in the 2020 Dunk Contest. The Milwaukee Buck’s twitter page really helped jump start things when they promoted their boy. Popular NBA twitter page Ballislife.com also replied to the tweet with another showing of Pat’s talent.
With the confirmation of Pat in the 2020 Dunk Contest, NBA twitter (the best of all twitter, everyone can agree to that) really ramped up. Pat chimed in from his own account in what looks to be a potential invite to Brewers’ star and former NL MVP, Christian Yelich, who quickly retweeted.
Pat’s Competition
When someone has been finishing high flying dunks all his career, it is hard to believe that he won’t come up with some spectacular dunks for the 2020 contest. However, his only obstacle will be his competition, which consists of Aaron Gordon, Dwight Howard, and Derrick Jones Jr. This will be Gordon’s third dunk contest and though he has not won it before, he did put up one of the best performances in dunk contest history when he went head to head against Zach LaVine. Dwight Howard has actually won the contest back in 2008 and this will be his 5th year competing so his experience will be tough to beat. Derrick Jones Jr. has also participated in the contest before so he too will be competitive.
Some of Pat’s Best Dunks
With Pat Connaughton’s athleticism and creative mental capabilities, I would not be surprised if he outshines his competitors and wins the title. He clearly is well trained at choreographing dunks and will surely have something up his sleeve for this year’s competition. If you don’t believe me, just check out his hops for yourself. The NBA’s official promo video for Pat’s participation in the 2020 Dunk Contest and a scroll through his social media is all you need.
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