UNC Basketball: Dunk contest “A Dream Come True” for Cole Anthony

Former UNC basketball standout Cole Anthony fulfilled a lifelong dream of competing in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend is one that will always be memorable for former UNC basketball standout Cole Anthony.

Now playing for the Orlando Magic, Anthony fulfilled a lifelong dream of competing in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The 6-foot-3 guard was the smallest contestant in the field but didn’t let his height disadvantage keep him from showing off his hops.

Anthony went out to put on a show for the crowd, as his first dunk not only honored his father, former New York Knick Greg Anthony, but also paid homage to his New York City roots.

With Greg as his helper, not only did Cole wear his dad’s No. 50 Knicks jersey, he also put on a pair of Timberland boots. Yes, you read that right; Anthony wore Timberland boots!

On his third attempt, Anthony grabbed the ball from his father and threw down a left-handed windmill dunk, which earned him a score of 40 from the five judges.

When asked about his first dunk of the contest, the former Tar Heel thought the judges would give him more credit for his creativeness:

"“I thought having the Timbs on, (they’d) give me a little more credit. You know Timbs heavy. You may not know how heavy Timbs are because people only wearing Timbs out in New York. Them joints are like bricks on your feet. I probably could have done a little more. Maybe a reverse windmill that next time, but I don’t think there’s going to be a next time. This might be a one-and-done appearance for me.”"

Anthony was unable to land his second dunk, which was one of the toughest attempts that we saw during the contest. After throwing the basketball off the backboard, Anthony tried to do a 360-scoop dunk but wasn’t able to slam the ball through the net.

Not only did Anthony compete in the dunk contest, but also was a part of the Clorox Rising Stars Challenge. This year, there were changes to the event, as players were broken up into teams and competed against one another in a bracket-style challenge.

Anthony and Team Barry, led by former NBA legend Rick Barry, did not win their first and only match, but the former Tar Heel made a memorable highlight-reel dunk, which was assisted by his current Magic teammate Jalen Suggs:

Now that NBA All-Star Weekend is over, Anthony turns his attention back to helping the Magic win games in the second half of the season. Through the first half of play, Anthony made a major jump in production, as his 17.7 points-per-game average not only leads the team but is nearly five more points than he averaged during his rookie campaign.

Competing in the Rising Stars Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest were great opportunities for Cole Anthony, but the next time he returns for NBA All-Star Weekend, the former Tar Heel has another goal that he sets out to accomplish:

"“Next time I come to All-Star, my goal is to be an All-Star. Hopefully, I can do that next year. I’m going to work as hard as I can to achieve that goal. Only time will tell.”"

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding Cole Anthony and the rest of the UNC basketball program.