Watch: Renton native Zach LaVine outduels Aaron Gordon in instant classic NBA dunk contest

A #VerizonDUNK duel for the ages… hosted by @ZachLavine & @Double0AG!https://t.co/gSYPxIq1jr

— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2016

Zach LaVine’s dunking prowess is no secret, not after he claimed the NBA dunk contest championship as a Minnesota Timberwolves rookie during last year’s NBA All-Star weekend. So it made sense that the 20-year-old Renton native and Bothell High School alum was the obvious favorite to defend his dunk contest crown Saturday in Toronto.

In a normal year, his dunks would have been plenty good enough for him to run away with the trophy, but this was no ordinary contest. Instead, LaVine ended up in an incredible battle against another second-year player, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon.

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The result was an instant classic that brought to mind the legendary 1988 dunk contest battle between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins and may prove to be the highlight of the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Canada.

In the end, LaVine’s combination of athleticism and creativity proved to be enough as he claimed not just his second career title at the event, but also his second award of the weekend – a day before, he was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge game, scoring 30 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the United States team’s 157-154 victory over the World team.