Seth Wenig/Associated Press
The contestants for the 2019 NBA Slam Dunk Contest were made official Tuesday, headlined by new New York Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr.
The full four-player lineup includes Smith, Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets, Hamidou Diallo of the Oklahoma City Thunder and John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks.
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Smith’s 2018-19 season has been interesting, to say the least. Prior to his move to the Knicks, he had a strained relationship with the Dallas Mavericks.
Head coach Rick Carlisle said on his radio show last month (h/t ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon) he thought Smith’s advisers were telling him to stay away from the Mavs when he missed six games in January.
The Knicks acquired Smith, DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round picks as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to Dallas.
As Smith settles into his new surroundings, he has proved capable of pulling off incredible gravity-defying dunks:
Bridges will be representing the hometown Hornets in the dunk contest. The 20-year-old rookie has shown promise in limited usage this season. He’s averaging 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 2, Bridges had one of his best dunks since turning pro:
Diallo has struggled to find consistent playing time for a Thunder team competing for one of the top playoff spots in the Western Conference. The 2018 second-round draft pick has appeared in 43 out of 52 games so far this season, but he’s averaging only 11.9 minutes per game.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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