There’s nothing like the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

The basketball world goes on hold for a weekend, and for one night, even just a few hours, the world is all about dunking.

Dunking is arguably the coolest thing about the game of basketball. For one night a year, some of the NBA’s best dunkers put their verticals, power, and creativity to the test; purely in the name of entertainment. It’s the main event of the NBA’s All-Star weekend, and this year has some unique flavors in the competition that should make it even more fun. Here’s the details on the event:

Event Info

Date: Saturday, February 17th, 2018

Time: 6:00 MST (event follows Skills Competition and Three-Point Contest)

Location: Staples Center-Los Angeles, California

TV: TNT

Contestants

Larry Nance Jr. - Cleveland Cavaliers

Dennis Smith Jr. - Dallas Mavericks

Victor Oladipo- Indiana Pacers

Donovan Mitchell- Utah Jazz

What to watch for

Larry Nance Jr. living up to his father’s name

We’ve waited a few years to see Larry Nance Jr in a dunk competition. The big man has thrown down some insane dunks in his first couple of years as an NBA player. Nance Jr is an intriguiging contestant not only because of his size and leaping ability, but also his genetics.

In 1984, Nance’s Father, Larry Sr., was crowned the winner of the NBA’s first organized dunk competition. Nance Sr. threw down some pretty nasty dunks, inlcuding a windmill-reverse.

Larry Nance Jr. will look to make a name for himself on Saturday night with that national spotlight beaming on him. With dunks like this, we can expect a lot from him.

Donovan Mitchell adding to his rookie legacy

It may be destiny for Donovan Mitchell to be in the dunk contest. After initially getting snubbed by the NBA of an invite, Mitchell’s presence was requested after a withdrawal from Aaron Gordon. This made Utah Jazz fans, and anyone who may have watched Mitchell dunk this season, very happy and excited to see him in the competiton.

Besides leading rookies in scoring this season, Mitchell has made a living above the rim with a handful of incredible dunks.

Mitchell has made some noise this season as a rookie, and will look to add to his legacy with a dunk contest crown.

Mitchell could follow suit of some NBA legends that had their legacies bound with dunk contests. We all know what Michael Jordan did in the dunk competition as a rookie, and how that moment become such an iconic moment in his career. Kobe Bryant won the contest in his rookie year in 1997. Mitchell has an opportunity to capture even more attention this weekend in the dunk competition, and add to his rookie legacy.

Mitchell won’t be the only rookie in the contest, with high-flying, rim-rocker Dennis Smith Junior joining him in the contest as well.

Redemption for Victor Oladipo

Oladipo participated in the 2015 dunk competition, and had, in my opinion, the best dunk of the contest.

This 360-reverse dunk was very nasty and was done at a very high level of difficulty. Unfortunately, Oladipo used this dunk in the first round and didn’t have much juice left to keep going in the remaining round. He get’s his chance at redeption this year, and hopefully we see something as amazing as his first dunk in 2015.