NBA Feet: 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

With the exception of the main event itself, the Slam Dunk Contest is without a doubt the most anticipated event during the NBA All-Star Weekend. We’ve seen some memorable showdowns in the past – Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Steve Francis putting on an amazing show in 2000, Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins redefining gravity in 1988, Nate Robinson defying the odds in three separate occasions – and 2011 was poised to be one for the history books with Blake Griffin, Demar Derozan, Serge Ibaka, and Javale McGee slated for slam dunk showcases. Each player rocked a pair of sweet sneakers to accompany the flashiness of their aerial assaults; Serge Ibaka of the Thunder wore the adidas adiPure in Sun Yellow and Demar Derozan sported a tonal-red colorway of the Zoom Kobe VI iD. Washington’s Javale McGee showed off a number of different Peak colorways, and eventual champion wore a red/black/translucent outsole colorway of the Nike Air Max Fly By. Check out a complete visual recap from the 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for a NBA Feet feature from the All-Star Game! via Yahoo!.

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Blake Griffin Wins 2011 Slam Dunk Contest After Dunking Over A KIA

Blake Griffin won the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Saturday after dunking over the hood of a KIA Optima SX in the final round. Fans gave Griffin a 68-32 margin over Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee in the final round; Griffin's other finals dunk involved going off the backboard and hanging from the rim at the elbow. McGee pulled off two soaring but less spectacularly set-up dunks, a baseline 360-degree dunk and a head-at-rim off-the-glass jam.

Griffin's KIA dunk involved a choir singing at midcourt while Baron Davis sat in the driver's seat of the car. Griffin leaped over the hood of the car as Davis lobbed the ball through the KIA's sunroof. The dunk was nothing spectacular, but Griffin finished it with rare power.

McGee had the highest score after a magical first round. McGee's first dunk involved a second rim placed adjacent to the stationary stanchion. McGee proceeded to dunk a ball through each hoop on one leap, going off the glass on one of the balls. It was a spectacular show of creativity and skill, and earned the night's only perfect 50 from judges. McGee's second dunk involved dunking three balls on one rim, one of which was lobbed by teammate John Wall.

DeMar DeRozan was arguably more impressive than Griffin in the first round. He had an absurdly difficult Isaiah Rider off the stanchion from a pass from teammate Amir Johnson that earned just 44 points from a stingy panel of judges. (Other than McGee's two first-round dunks, that DeRozan effort might have been the most physically difficult dunk of the night.) Griffin dunked off the side of the backboard, but without coming from behind the stanchion along the baseline and without going through the legs. Griffin earned a 46 on his version to thrust him past DeRozan and into the finals.

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