Former Edgewater basketball standout Anfernee Simons elevated his stature in the NBA by winning the Slam Dunk Contest at halftime of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.
And he sealed the deal with a couple of kisses.
Simons, a third-year Portland Trailblazers backup guard, changed into a Tracy McGrady jersey on his second turn to pay homage to one of his childhood Orlando Magic favorites and mimic a slam T-Mac performed in the 2000 Dunk Contest. Simons tossed the ball into the air, caught it on a high bounce and finished with a spinning 360 two-hand slam. That earned 49 points with four of the five judges giving a perfect 10 score.
Edgewater coach Jason Atherton said Simons has talked about wanting to be in the dunk contest since he was a rookie.
“I was actually nervous watching it (on TV),” Atherton said. “It was a huge deal just for him to get in it. It was cool to see him finally achieve that goal. Obviously, how it turned out was even better. Winning it is just the icing on the cake.”
On his final dunk, the 6-foot-3 Simons leaped to again catch his own bounce pass above the rim and puckered up as if he might kiss the rim before dunking with his right hand. He then blew a kiss to the crowd.
Five former NBA players who were judging the contest voted 3-2 in favor of Simons over the other finalist, New York Knicks power forward Obi Toppin.
The judges were Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith and Dee Brown.
“I didn’t even think I would be here honestly,” Simons said in a video conference after receiving a golden trophy. “It’s just crazy. A week ago, two weeks ago if you would have told me I would have been in the dunk contest and I would have won it, I would have looked at you crazy. Like, really? It’s definitely a dream come true.”
Simons, who was the 24th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is a reserve guard averaging 17 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game this season. He scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to Oklahoma City in January during a stretch that saw him score in double figures in 11 of 13 games.
Simons’ playing time has been reduced since he aggravated a hamstring injury on Feb. 2 but he didn’t appear to be at all hindered when he lifted off for his dunks on Sunday.
As an Edgewater senior Simons averaged 23.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists and was voted Florida Dairy Farmers Class 7A state player of the year. He spent the 2017-18 season as a “fifth year” prep school player at IMG Academy of Bradenton before becoming the first Edgewater alum to go in the NBA Draft and the first American-born player to go from preps to the pros since the league changed its draft rules in 2005.
He was eligible to be selected because he turned 19 before the draft and was a year removed from his high school graduation.
