Aaron Gordon fulfills a life-long dream with the Dunk Contest

Aaron Gordon always knew he wanted to dunk a basketball. Once he did, the next goal was to see how well he could do it.

Dunking at a high level has been a lifelong mission for Orlando Magic second-year swing man Aaron Gordon. It has also been one of his favorite things about the game of basketball.

For those who know Gordon, it is no surprise he eagerly accepted his invite to the Slam Dunk Contest. He has been driven to dunk since he was young.

The origins of his dunking enthusiasm came from watching his older brother dominate on the court. Drew Gordon played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014 and currently plays oversees.

This dunk contest is at least partially about making good on a promise of youth from one Gordon to another.

“My brother could dunk from an early age and I saw that and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” said Gordon. “I told him one day that I’m going to be able to jump higher than him.  He was like, ‘No you’re not,’ and I was like, ‘Watch.’ That kind of inspired me.”

This national coming out party for Gordon is about more than a brotherly connection however. It is a true family affair.

When asked at Wednesday’s shootaround in Orlando who he was consulting on his dunk repertoire, Gordon named his sister as the chief adviser. While his brother will not be in attendance Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre, his sister, mom and dad will all be watching to see if he can dethrone reigning champion Zach LaVine.

According to Gordon, they and everyone else will get a glimpse into his exuberant approach to the game.

“You’ll see how much fun I’m having out there,” said Gordon. “For the most part, it’s kind of hard to show your entire personality through a dunk contest, but you’ll definitely see a little bit of who I am.”

He showed a little bit of that in penning a letter to his first poster victim from his high school days for Bleacher/Report. The dunk was very much a part of his identity as a basketball player.

The road map for what a Gordon dunk contest sequence may look like is anyone’s guess. He said his Magic teammates have the “inside scoop” and they have been submitting their own suggestions for his consideration.

Despite the chatter, There is no rivalry Gordon has with Oladipo to see if he can best his runner-up performance in the contest last year. Rather, he is truly a student of dunking exhibitions of the past and may sample bits and pieces as he crafts his own show.

If there is one dunk that gives a window into what Gordon may do, it is one he threw down in a game this season at home against the Washington Wizards. He threw down a baseline dunk after passing it between his legs that became a darling of the sports highlight cycle.

No matter what he does on Saturday night, it is likely the most impressive dunk Gordon will have all year long and one that could be replicated in Toronto.

Next: Elfrid Payton guides Mario Hezonja through first All-Star Weekend

“You don’t get a lot of opportunities in the NBA because of the defense. When you get an opportunity to show off your dunk package, I’ll take it. It’s cool. I’ve been doing that dunk for a long time.”