NBA Oklahoma City Thunder

Russell Westbrook Should Participate In 2015 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

If there is one contestant who has to be a part of the 2015 Slam Dunk Contest it will be Oklahoma City Thunder‘s point guard Russell Westbrook. The electrifying guard has shared some of the best slams of his career this season and does not shy away from flashy or from risky dunks either.

After Westbrook’s injury last year, many speculated that he would not be half as explosive as he has shown early in his career, but in this season alone he proved everyone wrong by coming back faster and stronger than ever. And aside from his All-Star worthy numbers — 25 PPG, 6 .0 RPG and 7.6 AST — and race for MVP he has done it all in style. No, not his unique sense of fashion, but the intense competitive spirit he has brought to the NBA. 

There have been several players in the past who had some insane in-game dunks but really disappointed when it came to the dunk contest. But this will certainly not be the case for Westbrook if he is selected. Although most of his dunks are high leaping dunks, he has the ability to be creative in the air, and with all of that hang-time anything is possible. He is what would considered a power dunker who uses his strength to throw down the jam, and this makes for a perfect combination for great dunks.

There is a lot of speculation of rookie Andrew Wiggins being in this year’s contest and several other high-flying athletes, but none of them can wow a crowd like Westbrook. I have been a longtime fan of high flying guards and believe that it would make for a better show if it includes players such as Westbrook.

Westbrook already has a top 10 dunks of the 2014-15 season pack, and it’s just past the halfway mark of the season. He has also mentioned in the past that he would like to be a part of the contest before it was too late. This was said several years ago, so one can’t be sure if he might find it to be too late or not.

However, a lot of it comes down to the formation the league decides to use in this year’s contest, and let’s all hope it is not like last year. But it will, without a doubt, be more interesting if great players are involved.

Abdikarim Hashi is a NBA writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @GoldHashi, “Like” him on Facebook, and add him to your network on Google. 

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