He was the runner-up at the McDonald's High School All-American game dunk contest, but now he'll have the chance to showcase his skills above the rim against the best in the world.
Second-year Nets big man Mason Plumlee will participate in this year's dunk contest at Madison Square Garden in New York as the main event of All-Star Saturday night and one of the highlights of 2015 All-Star Weekend. Plumlee will be joined by Orlando's Victor Oladipo, Minnesota's Zach LaVine and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, meaning that the featured event of All-Star Saturday night will feature three second-year players and a rookie. The dunk contest will take place Feb. 14, the same day Duke takes on Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
Joining Plumlee representing Duke All-Star Saturday night will be Clippers sharpshooter J.J. Redick, who will compete with Portland's Wesley Matthews, Golden State's backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and Atlanta's Kyle Korver in the 3-point contest. Although the dunk contest participants are relatively unheralded, five of the six participants in the 3-point contest are renowned as dead-eye shooters and rank in the top seven in 3-pointers made this year. The sixth participant has not been announced yet.
But despite the big-name shooters taking part in the 3-point contest, the dunk contest might provide just as many fireworks.
Like Plumlee, Antetokounmpo is 6-foot-11 and capable of throwing down some monster jams, so it will be interesting to see how the two taller players compete with the more traditional duo of LaVine and Oladipo.
Plumlee showed off his impressive finish skills around the rim at Duke and is best known for a reverse tip-slam against Maryland in 2013.
The Warsaw, Ind., native has raised his level of play in 2015 and is now averaging 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and one block per game for the 18-26 Nets, who are battling for one of the final few playoff spots in the East.
Although he is in his ninth NBA season, like Plumlee, Redick wil be making his first appearance competing in a Saturday night event during All-Star Weekend. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 14.9 points per game for the 31-14 Clippers—who are squarely in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture—and is shooting 44.1 percent from distance while averaging two-and-a-half makes per game.
Check back with the Blue Zone for a weekly Duke in the NBA update and after All-Star Weekend to see how Plumlee and Redick fare in the high-profile events.
This post was updated after the information about the 3-point contest was revealed Jan. 27.
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