LOS ANGELES (AP) - Blake Griffin leaped over a car and threw down a two-handed dunk to the accompaniment of a gospel choir, winning the slam dunk contest in iconic style before his hometown fans on All-Star Saturday.
The Los Angeles Clippers' rookie caught a pass out of the sunroof from teammate Baron Davis and easily cleared the 2011 Kia Optima's hood while the Crenshaw Select Choir sang "I Believe I Can Fly" at midcourt.
The inventive slam drove home the obvious point of the All-Star weekend's silly Saturday: Griffin has both the raw athleticism and the showtime flair to be the NBA's next big star.
With an entire building solidly behind Griffin, finalist Javale McGee of Washington and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan really didn't stand a chance despite their own creative dunks at Staples Center.
But All-Star Saturday was a showcase for Griffin, who started the contest with an irresistibly 360-degree spin dunk before converting a bounce pass off the side of the backboard in the first round.
McGee got creative, ordering a second basket standard attached to a forklift and placed right next to the hoop. After several misses, he managed to throw down a left-handed dunk while tossing the other ball off the backboard to himself for a right-handed jam, earning a perfect 50.
McGee joined him after dunking three balls on the same leap, slapping home a pass for the third jam.