When Jase Richardson spoke to the media after he was announced as a participant in the Slam Dunk Contest this year, he understood that he was carrying a dual legacy.
The first was his father, a two-time Slam Dunk champion. Jason Richardson took on the Dunk Contest at a down point in the contest's history, although no one would fault him for it.
The elder Richardson is an all-time contest champion. The younger Richardson does not even think he is the best dunker among his siblings. But he will give it a try -- and teammates believe he will put on a good show.
The second legacy comes from wearing a Magic jersey.
The Magic have participated in the Dunk Contest as much as any other team, including some of the all-time great performances.
From Otis Smith's showing in 1991, to Nick Anderson in 1992, to Darrell Armstrong in 1996, to Dwight Howard in 2007, 2008 and 2009, to Victor Oladipo in 2015, to Cole Anthony in 2022, and to Mac McClung in 2024 and 2025, there have been some highlights and lowlights in the competition. The Magic always have a dunker.
Howard won the contest in 2008 with the famous Superman dunk. McClung won the contest wearing a Magic jersey in 2024 and 2025, although he spent most of his time with their G-League affiliate.
But no player defined the Dunk Contest quite like Aaron Gordon in his three appearances in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The title eluded him. But Gordon is one of the defining players of the contest.
When everyone is frustrated the Dunk Contest has not lived up to its billing, they are often waiting for a night as magical as the night 10 years ago today (Feb. 13, 2016) when Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine lit the league on fire.
The Dunk Contest's legacy
As Zach Harper of The Athletic put it, the Dunk Contest in 2016 was a battle between two different approaches to the Dunk Contest.
Zach LaVine was pure athleticism, unvarnished and without apology. Most of his dunks had few frills to them. He flew from the free throw line and put the ball between his legs. He floated in the air and played with the basketball.
It was just pure grace in the air.
Aaron Gordon was the showman. He brought out the props to accentuate both his power and athleticism. But his dunks were impressive nonetheless.
The two could have kept dunking forever and made everyone happy. There were no losers that night, even if LaVine took the trophy home.
Gordon was the people's champ, delivering the dunk of the night in his third dunk -- when he cleared STUFF on a hoverboard with his legs parallel to the ground, switching hands beneath his legs while essentially sitting mid-air.
When they say everything has been tried in Dunk Contest history, Gordon proved there were still ideas out there to pursue. It is still among the all-time great Dunk Contest dunks -- with Michael Jordan dunking from the free-throw line, Vince Carter reaching into the honey jar and Spud Webb's 360.
Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine put on a showcase dunk contest that ranks with the 1988 contest between Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan and the 2000 battle with Vince Carter overshadowing Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis.
Gordon had fantastic dunks beyond the most famous sit-down dunk over STUFF. He also did a full rotation after grabbing the ball from a rotating STUFF. One of his first dunks saw him leap over and push off STUFF for a dunk.
It was a mix of artistry and power with the showmanship that an all-time performance deserves.
There is a reason that its 10th anniversary is being marked. It is always worth revisiting, just to feel the shock. It is the feeling the Dunk Contest is constantly chasing and why the league keeps the contest.
You never know when that magic will return.
Gordon since then
Aaron Gordon ultimately lost that contest in Toronto. He would try the following year again, but struggled to hit his trademark dunk -- having a drone drop the ball to him. The showman lost out by relying too much on his props.
Gordon was set to return in 2018 but had to pull out with a hamstring injury (this was the last All-Star Weekend without any Orlando Magic participation).
Aaron Gordon returned for the contest in 2020, losing out in another hotly debated contest with Derrick Jones Jr.
Gordon put in another stellar showing in another classic dunk showdown. He used fewer props this time, but still mixed his athleticism and power to put in an all-time performance. His best dunk in regulation was his last one, doing the spinning one-handed dunk after a teammate threw it off the side of the backboard.
In the tiebreaker round, he dunked over 7-foot-5 center Tacko Fall. That was apparently not enough to win the contest (at least, according to Dwyane Wade, who famously gave him a 9 for the dunk).
The trophy eluded him.
Gordon needed some time to find his footing on the court. While with the Magic, they leaned on him to be a star player, and he never quite took to the role.
Orlando ultimately traded him a year later at the 2021 trade deadline.
With the Denver Nuggets, Gordon became an essential role player and helped get them to the 2023 NBA championship. Gordon is known as "Mr. Nugget" and is the heart and soul of that team playing off of Nikola Jokic.
He found his perfect role.
The Magic have found their footing since then too. They are a perennial playoff team, trying to find a way into the contender class.
But they are still chasing some Dunk Contest glory. That will land on their rookie guard this weekend to continue this dunking legacy.