Pretty good contest this year, although it always feels like they're struggling to make it seem relevant.. they maybe should have retired the event after Vince Carter was done with it:
VIDEO: Nate Robinson Slam Dunk Contest 2009 source
Dwight Howard went back to his Superman gimmick from last year but, in the end, Nate Robinson proved to be Howard's Kryptonite, as he leaped over the defending champ in the final round to capture the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Championship.
Howard didn't take home the trophy, but he may just have gotten the fans' vote for injecting the most creativity into this year's contest.
Howard brought a second hoop out for one of his dunks, then disappeared into a phone booth (as promised) on the stage to change into the Superman costume that we now associate with Dwight and his dunks. Once geared up, the second goal (which was positioned on a forklift) was raised up to somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 feet, and Howard made it look easy when he threw down the memorable slam.
Nate Robinson enlisted Howard's help for his show-stopper, and jumped over Howard just as Gerald Green had done to him in the 2007 event in Las Vegas. Why in the world would Howard agree to be a prop that might help his competition beat him?
Dwight Howard seemed to know the final result before it was announced, as he was pointing to Robinson before the envelope was opened. Did he know? "I saw it already," Dwight Howard joked. "Nate Robinson did a good job. I'm not mad or anything. I guess the shorter man will always win in a dunk contest, because it looks real hard for him, it looks easy for me."
