Minnesota Timberwolves

Tough critic: Shaq was the harshest dunk contest judge ever

Published Feb. 13, 2016 10:23 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

Through the first round of the 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, two things were clear. First, the title would come down to Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine, who far and away threw down the best dunks of the opening round.

Second, Shaquille O'Neal had pretty lofty standards as a dunk contest judge.

It started with Gordon's second dunk of the night. Despite an incredible slam over the Orlando Magic mascot — on a hoverboard, no less — Gordon was unable to pull down a perfect score, thanks specifically to Shaq. The Hall of Fame big man was the only judge to give Gordon a 9:

It seemed as if it might be some Orlando-themed heckling, until the Big Diesel repeated his harsh judgment on LaVine's impressive second dunk:

What, did O'Neal have a quota of just one perfect score to give out during the night? Or did he just feel the need to play the contrarian? Given the way the night played out, it must have been the latter. Because on his very next dunk, Gordon brought the Toronto crowd to its feet in absolute ecstacy.

In most years, that would have been enough to end the contest. Game over. But most years don't feature LaVine, who responded:

Gordon and LaVine were so amazing that even Shaq had to give them their just due with some 10s, and it forced a dunk contest overtime between Gordon and LaVine. 

That's when Shaq got stingy again, as he and two other judges gave Gordon only a 9, while giving LaVine a 10.

"We were kind of mind-boggled a couple times because we got 49s and they were 50s," LaVine said.

Shaq got an earful from NBA players throughout the night for his tough judging:

Hey, he's always held Orlando big men to a higher standard.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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