Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Hamidou Diallo delivered one of the greatest moments in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history on his way to victory during All-Star Saturday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This year’s event featured just one participant with prior experience, Dennis Smith Jr. Then a member of the Dallas Mavericks, Smith bowed out in the first round last year after posting an 89 through his first two dunks.

Meanwhile, the hometown crowd had a heavy rooting interest with Charlotte Hornets rookie Miles Bridges in the lineup.

Below is a look at the scoreboard:

• Hamidou Diallo, Oklahoma City Thunder
  • First round: 48 and 50 (98 total)
  • Second round: 43 and 45 (88 total)
• Dennis Smith Jr., New York Knicks
  
  
  • First round: 45 and 50 (95 total)
  • Second round: 35 and 50 (85 total)
• Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets
  • First round: 33 and 50 (83 total)
• John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
  • First round: 40 and 42 (82 total)

Highlights

Diallo recorded the highest score (48) the first time through the lineup, with some help from the NBA’s assists leader:

Unfortunately for Buzz City, there wasn’t much hope for Bridges after the 6’7″, 225-pound forward failed to finish an off-the-backboard, between-the-legs dunk on his first turn. 

The competition would quickly heat up, though.

Bridges redeemed himself, though, by getting the first 50 of the night by taking a lob off the side of the backboard and going 360 with it on his next dunk:

But the 33 for the failed attempts dug him an insurmountable hole right off the bat.

Next up, Collins became the first participant to go all-out with showmanship:

That didn’t wind up doing much for the judges, who handed out a 42.

The show continued as Smith—who got a 45 on his first dunk—brought out rapper J. Cole to help with his second go. The Knicks guard secured his spot in the finals by showing off his hops and dunking over the Grammy-nominated artist:

J. Cole attempted to get in on the action but came up a tad short:

At that point, the attention turned to who Smith’s opponent in the final round would be—and Diallo made the judges’ job easy by channeling his inner Vince Carter by going over the 7’1″ Shaq:

That absurdness sent the internet into a frenzy: 

The second time through the lineup in the first round appeared to be setting the stage for a ridiculous finals showdown between Smith and Diallo. Instead, the air quickly was let out of the building as Smith failed to finish his first dunk of the round.

Smith scored a questionable 50 on his second dunk to keep the pressure on Diallo, but the 20-year-old Thunder guard was more than ready for his moment, scoring an 88 in the final round:

Diallo became the first OKC player to ever win the dunk contest. He is the second player in franchise history to capture the trophy, though, as he joins former Seattle SuperSonic Desmond Mason (2001) as dunk contest champs.   

Brooklyn Nets swingman Joe Harris upset Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry in the final round to win the NBA 3-Point Contest on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Harris, who scored 26 points in the finals, barely edged Curry’s 24. Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, who was the third finalist, scored 19.  

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum won the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge with a half-court shot to beat Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young.

Tatum’s stroke of brilliance to attempt the heave came at an opportune time, as Young was positioned to win with a three from the top of the arc when the Celtic took his shot.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that a fan emailed him the idea of adding Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki to the All-Star Game as special team roster additions, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

Wade, who started his NBA career in 2003, is retiring at the end of the season. The 40-year-old Nowitzki, who was drafted by the Mavs in 1998, has not made a decision about his future yet. The two have been named to a combined 27 All-Star Games.

The NBA had never granted special roster additions into the All-Star Game before.

The closest thing to that may have been Magic Johnson’s inclusion in the 1992 game. The former Los Angeles Laker legend retired before the beginning of the 1991-92 season after revealing that he had contracted HIV.

However, the fans still voted for Johnson en masse after his retirement, enough for him to be named an All-Star starter. Johnson ended up playing for the Western Conference and was named the MVP after amassing 25 points and nine assists in a 153-113 victory.

Clearly, the fans are getting what they want this year, none more so than the anonymous one who emailed Silver and got their wish.

Wade also finished second in fan voting for Eastern Conference guards, while Nowitzki was a respectable 15th on the Western Conference frontcourt list even though he didn’t play his first game until two months into the season.

Wade will be playing for the LeBron James-led team, while Nowitzki will suit up for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s crew. The game will take place on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Charlotte, North Carolina. TNT will televise the contest.

Bryce Harper remained unsigned as spring training got underway this week, but one team appears to be pulling ahead in the sweepstakes.

CBS Sports’ Jim Bowden reported Saturday he’s hearing “there’s a lot of momentum and traction” between Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies:

Bowden notes he believes the prized free agent will receive at least a 10-year deal worth $300 million-plus. Both the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly offered short-term deals.

Bowden noted last month that the Washington Nationals have offered Harper a contract worth “much more than the $300 million being reported by the media.” Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported in late January that the San Diego Padres also met with the 2015 National League MVP.

Harper hit .249/.393/.496 with 34 home runs, 34 doubles and 100 RBI last season last year. His 2018 campaign was highlighted by a Home Run Derby title in front of his hometown crowd:

That helped propel him to a strong finish, as he hit .300 after the All-Star break. 

The Phillies have gotten a good look at Harper while playing against him in the NL East. The six-time All-Star has hit .268/.365/.564 with 14 home runs, five doubles, three triples and 32 RBI in 50 career games at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia has been linked to Harper throughout the offseason, especially after owner John Middleton said his club would be aggressive.

“We’re going into this expecting to spend money,” Middleton told USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale in November. “And maybe even be a little bit stupid about it. We just prefer not to be completely stupid.”

So far this offseason, Philadelphia has acquired 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen (three years, $50 million), All-Star reliever David Robertson (two years, $23 million), two-time All-Star shortstop Jean Segura (trade) and All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto (trade).

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving didn’t have an ideal end to their partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but any hard feelings between them appear to be a thing of the past.

According to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron was asked about his relationship with Kyrie on Saturday during an All-Star media session, and he had nothing but kind things to say about his former teammate:

“I think I’ve always loved Kyrie, from before I met him, until when I became his teammate, to even now. So the phone call, more than for me, I think just to see his growth … It takes a real man and a real person—and a real person to understand who they are—to be able to call, or to do anything and be able to see their wrongdoings or believe they have some wrongdoings and then be able to come to grips with that and then be able to either apologize or say that, ‘At that point and time, I thought I was ready for something, but I really wasn’t.’ … I really don’t want to talk about it too much, because it’s not for everybody. … I love Kyrie. I love everything about Kyrie.”

James and Irving were teammates in Cleveland for three seasons, reaching three NBA Finals together and winning a championship. The Cavs traded Kyrie to the Boston Celtics prior to the 2017-18 season after he requested to be moved, and LeBron left Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason.

In January, Irving told reporters that he had called James to apologize for the way he handled his departure from the Cavaliers:

“Obviously, this was a big deal for me, because I had to call [LeBron] and tell him I apologized for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips, and I wanted everything at my threshold. I wanted to be the guy that led us to a championship. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to be all that, and the responsibility of being the best in the world and leading your team is something that is not meant for many people.

“[LeBron] was one of those guys who came to Cleveland and tried to show us how to win a championship, and it was hard for him, and sometimes getting the most out of the group is not the easiest thing in the world.”

The Lakers will almost certainly be in search of a superstar to pair with James during the offseason, as they are just 28-29 this season and trail the Los Angeles Clippers by three games for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Trading for New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis is a possibility, as is pursuing Golden State Warriors shooting guard and L.A. native Klay Thompson in free agency.

While Irving said at an event for Celtics season ticket holders in October that he planned to re-sign with the team, he has backed off that statement to some degree since. When asked in early February about his free agency plans, Irving responded, “Ask me July 1.”

A reunion between James and Irving once seemed nearly impossible, especially so soon after the end of their partnership.

Walking away from Boston may be difficult for Irving, especially if general manager Danny Ainge manages to land Davis in a trade. Based on how open LeBron and Kyrie have been about their respect for each other recently, however, Irving following James to L.A. can’t be ruled out.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown addressed some of the key differences he has with Ben Roethlisberger on Saturday. 

Asked by a Twitter user about his conflict with Roethlisberger leading up to Week 17, Brown responded there was a lack of “mutual respect” because the Steelers quarterback has an “owner mentality”:

The Steelers benched Brown for their regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach Mike Tomlin originally announced his star wideout was absent from practice leading up to the game because of discomfort in his knee.

Per Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brown “was disgusted and threw a football” at Roethlisberger following a disagreement during a walkthrough practice four days before the game.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported he was informed Brown was “totally in the wrong” for that situation and “went AWOL essentially for the 3rd time this season dating back to training camp.”

Bouchette reported Saturday that the Steelers were intending to explore trades involving Brown even before he reportedly asked for a trade on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 

Brown is a playmaker who can help a lot of teams on the field and led the NFL with 15 touchdown receptions last season. The 30-year-old will become very expensive in 2019 with a $22.165 million cap hit, per Spotrac.

Teams interested in acquiring Brown will have to weigh the upside with the potential headaches he brings between games.