All-Star Weekend Rewind: John Wall Wins 2014 Slam Dunk Contest
By Ethan Smith
Close your eyes and think back with me to a simpler time. To February 2014. It’s the All-Star Break. The night of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
The Washington Wizards are relying on their young and promising backcourt of 23-year-old John Wall and 20-year-old Bradley Beal. Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat are a bruising frontcourt duo in D.C. Otto Porter is just a rookie.
Yes, there were a lot more reasons to be hopeful as a Wizards fan 5 years ago than there are today. So let’s bask in that during this NBA All-Star Weekend. As John Collins, Hamidou Diallo, Dennis Smith Jr., and Miles Bridges get ready for tonight’s dunk contest, we bathe in nostalgia and remember when John Wall added one of many accolades to his outstanding Wizards resume: D.C.’s first dunk champion.