National Basketball Association

The Latest: Oscar Robertson honored at Legends Brunch

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:16 p.m. ET

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TORONTO (AP) The Latest on Sunday's events at the NBA's All-Star Weekend in Toronto (all times local):

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5:15 p.m.

Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Legends Brunch on Sunday.

Robertson got the award from fellow Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns - the newly crowned skills challenge winner at All-Star weekend.

The brunch was hosted by the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Robertson is a past president of the players' association. In his remarks Sunday he urged the NBA's current players to study the history of how past players fought for certain rights ''and look where you are today.''

Johnson said Robertson is one of his heroes, and Towns raved about the chance to share the stage with the ''Big O.''

- Tim Reynolds

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2:15 p.m.

After outlasting Aaron Gordon in what many believe was the best slam dunk contest in All-Star weekend history, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine posted a touching tribute to the late Flip Saunders on his Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Saunders, the Timberwolves president and coach, died suddenly from Hodgkins lymphoma just days before the season started. Saunders drafted LaVine 13th overall two years ago despite the young guard playing only one season as a bench player at UCLA.

LaVine posted a photo of his dunk championship trophy resting on a black Timberwolves jersey. The name ''FLIP'' was written across the back and LaVine's No. 8 was rotated horizontally to mimic an infinity sign.

''I dedicate this dunk contest and the trophy to my late coach, Flip Saunders and the Saunders family,'' LaVine wrote. ''He's the one that always believed in me and drafted me! We all loved Flip and his memory will love on forever!''

- Jon Krawczynski

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Zach LaVine called it the best dunk contest ever, a showdown with Aaron Gordon that rivaled what Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins did.

Maybe they will come back next year and do it again. In fact, Gordon says, if the league wants him to go to Charlotte, ''I probably will.''

For now, it's time to turn the attention at All-Star weekend back where it was at the start: Kobe Bryant and the rest of the NBA's best.

The All-Star Game tips off Sunday night, when the crowd might still be buzzing over the performances LaVine and Gordon put on to cap off All-Star Saturday.

LaVine finally won after extra dunks were needed, joining Jordan, Jason Richardson and Nate Robinson as the only back-to-back winners of the dunk title.

- Brian Mahoney

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