When Victor Oladipo pulled out the Black Panther mask for the dunk contest in 2018 and made the crowd go crazy

Back in 2018, then Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo made headlines for his Black Panther inspired dunk at the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Black Panther had just come out in theaters at the time, so Oladipo did his best to capitalize on the hype surrounding the film.

Oladipo broke out the Black Panther mask, handed to him by none other than actor Chadwick Boseman, who was sitting courtside. He then finished his dunk after two attempts.

The dunk elicited a strong reaction from fans. However, most NBA fans would agree that the dunk itself wasn’t that impressive. Victor Oladipo did some sort of variation of a double-pump windmill dunk. Oladipo then received a score of 40 out of 50 for the dunk.

This came after Oladipo had previously disappointed with a score of just 31 points for his first dunk. So with 71 points in total, he ended up finishing fourth out of four contestants and was eliminated in the first round.

Oladipo's dunk has since become a lot more memorable after Boseman shockingly passed away two years later in 2020. Fans now look back at the moment with a lot more nostalgia than they would have otherwise.

As for the dunk contest winner, then Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell beat Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. 98-96 in the final.

Victor Oladipo on the inspiration for his Black Panther themed dunk

Former Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo alongside actors Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan

Following this dunk, Victor Oladipo spoke with reporter Marc J. Spears about his inspiration for the dunk. Oladipo said that he actually wasn’t the one who came up with the idea:

"I wasn't the one who kind of came up with it. People in my camp kind of came up with it. They understand comics, so they kind of came up with it."

Oladipo also explained that he and Boseman had mutual friends and he just got lucky that Boseman was available:

"We had mutual friends, me and Chad (Boseman). We got a hold of him and he was gonna be in the arena, luckily. It kind of just worked out on itself, and I felt like it was the right time to bring that out just because 'Black Panther' is such a monumental statement."

Oladipo also spoke about the importance of having a black superhero and the impact the film had on the culture:

"It's part of a movement in our generation that will go down in history as obviously one of the first black superheroes, and I just felt as though it needed to be brought into the NBA and I thought it would be a great idea to add him into it.

“He was with it and they got the approval from Disney, and it just turned out the way it turned out. I'm just glad I made the dunk."

Finally, Oladipo also said that he had a hard time seeing through the mask. Nonetheless, he was just happy he was able to complete the dunk and create a memorable moment for the fans:

"I couldn't breathe or really see in the mask. But I just had to make the dunk, make it a special moment. It was awesome, man. I was just glad to be a part of it."

For Victor Oladipo's full interview, click here.

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