| This man can fly like no other. (Getty Images) |
For years, the YouTube legend of James White has grown like few others in basketball. He's been the high school kid from Virginia who was defying gravity and throwing down two-handed dunks from behind the free-throw line. He was highlighted in just about every basketball mixtape you could get your hands on.
And for about a decade, people (myself included) have been daydreaming about the possibilities of James White competing in the NBA Dunk Contest and possibly bringing a legendary performance like we haven't seen since Vince Carter laced up his And 1s in Oakland in 2000 against Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis and Ricky Davis. We've been clamoring for White to find a home in the NBA, keep that home and be available for the most popular All-Star Weekend event (sorry, Shooting Stars competition).
Reportedly, we won't have to wait any longer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post:
Get excited!
This video was published on YouTube this morning with James White reminding Eastern Conference All-Star captain Dwyane Wade that if he'd like a win in the dunk contest for the East, he'd pick the New York Knicks' reserve to be on his team.
The incredible thing about White is not just his leaping ability, but the fact that his dunk contest routine is almost exclusively performed with dunks from the free-throw line. He'll warm up with a one-handed dunk with his toes behind the line when he jumps. He'll move to a two-handed dunk from the free-throw line in which he cocks the ball back to add a little flair.
Then he gets serious by adding a windmill to the routine and going between his legs if the mood hits him. And all of these are being performed with legitimate leaps from the free-throw line. He can throw other dunks in there, like a big switch of the hands from right to left in windmill fashion or a legitimate full windmill with both hands coming from the side of the floor.
He has it all at his disposal, and it looks like we'll finally get to see it on the biggest stage for dunk contests.
White is 30 years old, but his time hasn't passed him up yet. Dominique Wilkins won the 1990 NBA Dunk Contest at the age of 30.