The dunk contest is Saturday, Feb. 18 on TNT. [Frank McGrath]
Glenn Robinson III says he’s ready for his moment on the big stage. He’s ready to be showcased on the premier event during All-Star Weekend: The Slam Dunk contest. Robinson III was ecstatic when he first learned almost a month ago that he had been selected in would be in the field on Feb. 18 in New Orleans.
“I’m just excited,” he said Thursday before jetting down to New Orleans. “This is going to be my first time at All-Star Weekend, my first time really being in front of all of the players and celebrities. Just looking forward to putting on a show. I’ve practice some things and I just want to go in and have fun.”
Minnesota’s Zach LaVine won it in 2015 and 2016, but he’s unable to participate due to a torn ACL. Orlando’s Aaron Gordon came in a very close second last year, so he’s surely the favorite going into Saturday.
This year’s field also includes DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers and Derrick Jones Jr. of the Suns.
Just 23, the Gary, Indiana product becomes the eighth Pacers player to participate in the featured All-Star Saturday event, joining a list of Terrence Stansbury, Kenny Williams, Antonio Davis, Jonathan Bender, Fred Jones, Paul George, and Gerald Green.
Robinson III spent time before and after practice over the last several weeks thinking and practicing potential jams. He’s talked with a few competitors in previous years, including Paul George. George, a four-time NBA All-Star, competed in both 2012 and 2014 and has said that he’s done with this event. But you just might see him Saturday assisting his teammate.
“I didn’t want to wear myself out,” GRIII said of his preparation. “I was focusing on games and the season. But I’m still prepared, I’m still ready to go in there and try to win it. I’m going to win it.”
Wait, you’re putting a guarantee on it?
“Yeah yeah yeah,” he replied with a confident grin. “Got to.”
That’s when Kevin Seraphin, whose locker is nearby, paused the interview to ask “Have you seen him? He’s got it all. He’s going to win.”
I still remember Lavoy Allen telling me before the 2015-16 season, before Robinson III ever played a game in a Pacers uniform, “He dunks everything.” That was after the majority of the team had been in town for offseason work prior to training camp.
One important thing that Robinson III understands is that it’s as much about throwing down something special (and on the first try, please!) as it is about wowing the crowd and getting them engaged.
“I’m definitely going to get the fans involved,” he said. “I think that that’s important in the contest, just getting the fans involved, getting that excitement, and getting everybody on your side. So I think that you have to have a little bit of an entertainment.
“I can’t tell you nothing about my dunks. All I can say is I’ve got something prepared that the fans haven’t seen yet in the NBA dunk contest. Something new.”
The Slam Dunk contest is the third and final event Saturday night. It will follow the Skills Challenge and Three-Point Contest — which gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on TNT. Expect for the dunk contest to begin around 9:30pm ET or so.
Watch my conversation with GRIII below:
See Glenn dunk:
don't sleep 😴👀 #allstarweekend #dunkcontest pic.twitter.com/qvMgttFxKZ
— Glenn Robinson III (@GRIII) February 10, 2017
[…] Coming into the contest, Aaron Gordon was favored to win after a spectacular second place finish to Zach LaVine last year. Relative unknown Derrick Jones Jr. loomed as a dark horse with an incredible highlight reel and the nickname Airplane Mode. Glenn Robinson III did not enter with the same resume as Jones Jr., but he nonetheless entered the day with quite a lot of confidence. […]