The Latest: LaVine dedicates dunk contest to Flip Saunders

TORONTO (AP) ' The Latest on Sunday's events at the NBA's All-Star Weekend in Toronto (all times local):___2:15 p.m.After outlasting Aaron Gordon in what many believe was the best slam dunk contest in All-Star weekend history, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine posted a touching tribute to the late Flip Saunders on his Instagram and Twitter accounts.Saunders, the Timberwolves president and coach, died suddenly from Hodgkins lymphoma just days before the season started. Saunders drafted LaVine 13th overall two years ago despite the young guard playing only one season as a bench player at UCLA.LaVine posted a photo of his dunk championship trophy resting on a black Timberwolves jersey. The name "FLIP" was written across the back and LaVine's No. 8 was rotated horizontally to mimic an infinity sign."I dedicate this dunk contest and the trophy to my late coach, Flip Saunders and the Saunders family," LaVine wrote. "He's the one that always believed in me and drafted me! We all loved Flip and his memory will love on forever!"' Jon Krawczynski___Zach LaVine called it the best dunk contest ever, a showdown with Aaron Gordon that rivaled what Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins did.Maybe they will come back next year and do it again. In fact, Gordon says, if the league wants him to go to Charlotte, "I probably will."For now, it's time to turn the attention at All-Star weekend back where it was at the start: Kobe Bryant and the rest of the NBA's best.The All-Star Game tips off Sunday night, when the crowd might still be buzzing over the performances LaVine and Gordon put on to cap off All-Star Saturday.LaVine finally won after extra dunks were needed, joining Jordan, Jason Richardson and Nate Robinson as the only back-to-back winners of the dunk title.' Brian MahoneyJoin the conversation about this story
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