For most NBA casual fans, Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic is not really a household name.
While he was part of a stellar 2014 NBA Draft Class and drafted ahead of players like Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics and Julius Randle of the LA Lakers, he has not received much media attention.
This might change after what was arguably the best dunk contest ever. ESPN took note of Aaron Gordon having the most popular dunk.
"While LaVine had the winning dunk, the most amazing, most discussed, most retweeted dunk came from Gordon when he jumped over Stuff, grabbed the ball off his head, jackknifed his legs like a diver in the tuck position, put the ball under both legs and slammed it home," ESPN writer J.A. Adande said. "Some day it will be the ultimate testament to the greatness of this contest. Pull up a clip of that dunk and say, 'See that? And that was from the guy who lost.'"
Even if Gordon did not bring the trophy back to Orlando, there are no losers in such a heralded event. While the Slam Dunk contest has lost its significance over the past decade and a half, the event gives their team a morale boost, especially since the Orlando Magic is short on All-Star participation.
Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles talked about Gordon with Today's Fastbreak.
"I feel like he is winning that battle within himself," Skiles said. "Because when he is under control, he usually has success. When he is running the floor, and we like his spot-up shot, his defense, his rebounding. He's got some ability around the rim. He's an effective player."
After the All-Star break, fans would now be looking out for him. The Orlando Magic is known as a young and talented team but short on star power. The dunk contest could help one of them make the jump and the team should showcase what else he can do.