Simons takes home the 2021 Dunk Contest with his ‘Kiss at the Rim’ Dunk

Anfernee Simons took home the 2021 Dunk Contest in a condensed format of the showcase that took place during the 2021 All-Star Game halftime.

This year’s contest had rule changes in order to speed up the length of the competition, which included a total of two dunks for each participant, and a third and final dunk for the finalists. This year’s contest also implemented the ‘judges choice’ rule, where the judges would select which finalist is the overall winner, rather than giving a score for each of the finalists’ dunks.

Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers started out strong, showcasing his vertical and power at the rim, but the judges didn’t see things the same way, awarding him with a score of 44 for his first dunk.

Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks was the leader after round one, scoring a 48 on a nice bounce pass between the legs that went into a reverse finish.

Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trailblazers and Toppin both advanced to the final round, with Toppin clearing both his teammate Julius Randle, and his father on a windmill finish, while Simons blew a literal kiss at the rim while throwing down a one-handed finish.

Simons took home the dunk championship with three of the judges fives votes.