The 2020 NBA Dunk Contest field has reportedly been finalized and, sadly, the fourth participant is not two-time champion Zach LaVine.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks' Pat Connaughton has agreed to participate in the contest on February 15th, joining Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, and Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr.
Connaughton may not be the popular pick amongst fans but the 27-year old is looking forward to disproving the naysayers who don't think he's worthy of competing.
"I actually like the stereotypes, because I can disprove them. In today's day and age, political correctness and stereotypes are kind of unspoken truths, if you will," Connaughton told The Undefeated's Martenzie Johnson. "From time to time, people don't want to talk about them and they're not always true, but they're just kind of the way it is. So to be able to be a part of, you know, a small group that can disprove a stereotype like 'White men can't jump,' I think is pretty cool.
"If you do work hard, it doesn't really matter who you are, where you're from, what box people try to place you in. You can kind of get out of that box. You can accomplish what you want to with some hard work, with some dedication."
Connaughton is the only first-time dunk contest competitor amongst the 2020 participants. Howard is the only one who has won the event, but he has not participated in over a decade. Check out some the mixed reactions around #NBATwitter regarding the
