OKC’s Diallo leaps over Shaq to win dunk contest

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Oklahoma City’s Hamidou Diallo is the NBA’s slam dunk champion.

Going over Shaquille O’Neal in the first round, then getting a boost from rapper Quavo in the finale, Diallo soared to the crown by topping New York’s Dennis Smith Jr.

Diallo topped Smith 88-85 in the finale. Charlotte’s Miles Bridges and Atlanta’s John Collins went out in the first round.

Smith leapfrogged Miami’s Dwyane Wade and took a lob from Stephen Curry to give himself a chance with his last dunk, getting a perfect score from the judges – and a round of boos from the crowd, many of whom weren’t that impressed.

That left Diallo as the night’s final participant.

Diallo pulled off a dunk that will be talked about for years in the first round – dunking over O’Neal, hanging on the rim by his elbow, then tearing open his jersey to reveal a “Superman” shirt underneath. And then he plucked the ball from Quavo as he went airborne for the dunk that sealed the title.