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NBA NEWS - SHANNON BROWN, NATE ROBINSON AND GERALD WALLACE SET TO COMPETE IN NBA ALL STAR WEEK SLAM DUNK
Robinson Attempting to Become First Three-Time Winner -- DeMar DeRozan, Eric Gordon to Compete in First NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In to Determine Final Contestant
HIGH FLYERS NEW YORK, NY USA Tuesday January 26, 2010 2009 NBA Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks will attempt to become the first three-time winner of the competition when he defends his title on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 13, at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET on TNT) in Dallas. Robinson will compete against the Charlotte Bobcats’ Gerald Wallace and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Shannon Brown. The 2010 Slam Dunk participants were unveiled at a special event at New York’s Pennsylvania Station, where artist Dan Dunn brought each player’s image to life in a speed painting display on giant canvases. The Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Gordon will compete in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In, a single-round slam dunk competition that will be held at halftime of the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 12. Fans will be able to vote via SMS text message and at NBA.com to determine who will advance to the Slam Dunk the following night. In Phoenix last year, Robinson, who also won the event in 2006 in Houston, edged defending champion Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, and in the process converted a dunk that became an instant classic. Robinson, who won the 2006 event by dunking over 1986 champ Spud Webb, used Howard as a prop this time around, slamming the ball through the hoop after leaping over the 6-11 center. Robinson's final dunk was a reverse alley-oop off the bounce that he brought down to his knees before stuffing it through. The only back-to-back Slam Dunk champions were Chicago’s Michael Jordan (1987, 1988) and the Golden State Warriors’ Jason Richardson (2002, 2003). The only other two-time winners were Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins (1985, 1990) and Miami’s Harold Minor (1993, 1995). The two dunkers with the highest first round scores will advance to the final round. The dunker with the lowest total score from the first round will compete first in the final round. Dunks then will alternate until each player has completed two. Time limit rules still apply. In the final round, fan voting polls will open via SMS TXT message and at NBA.com. The combined results from SMS TXT voting and NBA.com will determine the champion. The Slam Dunk and Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam are part of NBA All-Star 2010, which also includes the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In, Three-Point Shootout; Skills Challenge; Shooting Stars; NBA All-Star Jam Session; and the 59th NBA All-Star Game. Previous Slam Dunk winners include : 1984—Larry Nance, Phoenix 1985—Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta 1986—Spud Webb, Atlanta 1987—Michael Jordan, Chicago 1988—Michael Jordan, Chicago 1989—Kenny Walker, New York 1990—Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta 1991—Dee Brown, Boston 1992—Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix 1993—Harold Miner, Miami 1994—Isaiah Rider, Minnesota 1995—Harold Miner, Miami 1996—Brent Barry, L.A. Clippers 1997—Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 2000—Vince Carter, Toronto 2001—Desmond Mason, Seattle 2002—Jason Richardson, Golden State 2003—Jason Richardson, Golden State 2004—Fred Jones, Indiana 2005—Josh Smith, Atlanta 2006—Nate Robinson, New York 2007—Gerald Green, Boston 2008—Dwight Howard, Orlando 2009—Nate Robinson, New York 2010 SLAM DUNK COMPETITORS Participant, Team Pos. Ht. Wt. Shannon Brown, L.A. Lakers -- G -- 6-4 -- 205 Gerald Wallace, Charlotte -- F -- 6-7 -- 220 Nate Robinson, New York* -- G -- 5-9 -- 180 DeMar DeRozan, Toronto** -- G -- 6-7 -- 220 Eric Gordon, L.A. Clippers** -- G -- 6-3 -- 222 * - indicates 2009 winner ** - will compete in the NBA All-Star Dunk-In to determine fourth dunker (NBA) © Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.
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