Dennis Smith Jr. got further than last year, but he still fell short in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night in Charlotte.

The Knicks guard was bested by Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo, who had scores of 43 and 45 in the final round to defeat Smith, who had scores of 35 and a perfect 50 in the final round.

Smith's best dunk came in the first round when he brought out rapper J. Cole, whom Smith grew up with in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and jumped over him as J. Cole tossed him the ball to dunk.

Dennis Smith Jr. can FLY 🔨🔨🔨 (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/xhaJYqpJB5
- SNY (@SNYtv) February 17, 2019

Smith also recorded a perfect 50 in the final round after jumping over Dwayne Wade for a dunk, but it took him several attempts and his low score of 35 on his first dunk attempt of the final round ultimately hurt him.

.@Dennis1SmithJr went over @DwyaneWade for a 50! 😳#ATTSlamDunk pic.twitter.com/Dtx6wVIBiZ
- NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 17, 2019

He was also no match for Diallo, who clearly had the best dunks of the night.

The 20-year-old rookie recorded a perfect 50 in the first round when he jumped over Shaquille O'Neal and hung elbow deep in the rim, paying homage to Vince Carter, while also unveiling a Superman jersey underneath his Thunder top.

"SUPERMAN IS IN THE BUILDING!" @hamidoudiallo WITH THE ELBOW DUNK OVER SHAQ. 😱😱😱#ATTSlamDunk pic.twitter.com/w7VB0Nw2UR
- NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 17, 2019

Diallo solidified his title when he jumped over rapper Quavo and took the ball off his head in the process.

Popular in the Community