Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon used Intel drone technology to complete a dunk in the first round of the Slam Dunk Contest in New Orleans on Saturday, but it wasn’t nearly enough to carry him into the final round.
The drone took flight and dropped a ball that bounced off the court, with Gordon taking the ball in between his legs and dunking it. The problem for Gordon was that he needed four attempts in order to complete the dunk. On the dunk that he made, he received 38 out of 50 possible points.
“I wanted to incorporate technology and do something creative and unique, which is why I was so excited to partner with Intel,” Gordon said in a statement. “Originality for me is key. I wanted to avoid doing anything gimmicky and get back to the creativity of the contest. And what better way to do that than to surprise the crowd with a drone powered by Intel?”
Did you see that? Air Gordon takes flight and goes through the legs with the assist from a Drone powered by @Intel. #VerizonDunk pic.twitter.com/jQpFs0Bh9h
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2017
Unbelievable! See the first ever #drone dunk powered by Intel @ the #VerizonDunk contest. #ExperienceMore at https://t.co/LZvhnoh9JG pic.twitter.com/9srqZTG5Cg
— Intel (@intel) February 19, 2017
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The drone powered by Intel that provided the assist is a fully-redundant hexicopter that has a flight time as long as 26 minutes, weighs just less than 11 pounds and can carry a payload of up to 4.4 pounds.
Gordon’s mother, Shelly Davis Gordon, is an Intel employee who has worked in the semiconductor industry for 35 years.
“When Aaron Gordon approached Intel with the idea to complete the first-ever drone assisted slam dunk, we couldn’t wait to support him in his quest,” Anil Nanduri, vice president of Intel’s Drone Segment, said in a statement. “Intel is leading and committed to bringing new capabilities and innovations to the drone ecosystem, so obviously our team saw this as an opportunity to do just that. Our goal as a brand is to use technology to create amazing experiences and I can think of no better way to prove that than by working with Aaron on this historic dunk attempt.”
Gordon finished second in a memorable contest last year in which he jumped over the Orlando Magic mascot and used a hoverboard in his dunks. He said in a statement he has been thinking about what dunks to do since that contest ended last year.
“Obviously, I can’t reveal what tricks I have up my sleeve, but let’s just say that I’m really big on innovation. (That shouldn’t be a surprise considering I was born and raised in Silicon Valley.) I appreciate originality … especially when it comes to dunks,” Gordon wrote in a blog post for Lucid, a mental training app he uses.
“It was awesome hearing people talk about last year’s contest. And I look forward to putting on another great show this year. So look for that innovation to come to New Orleans.”