Jaxson Hayes admits he thought he would miss the between-the-legs dunk against the Bulls originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Luka Doncic was supposed to be the only standout story for the Los Angeles Lakers in their game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. He had a superb performance with 46 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists.
Despite that performance, he was not alone in the headlines because Jaxson Hayes had something to do with it. The Lakers center made sure to make an impact against the Bulls, throwing down a between-the-legs dunk in the fourth quarter.
Hayes thought he would not make the dunk
Hayes is one of the most athletic big men in the league. He is known for throwing down powerful dunks by jumping from a long distance away from the rim.
He is also quite a showman, as evidenced by his between-the-legs dunk against Chicago. However, it was almost a failure because he barely made the dunk against the Bulls.
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Hayes knows his limits as an athletic player, so when he attempted the dunk, he thought the ball would get blocked by the rim. Thankfully, he is athletic enough to compensate, so he managed to get the highlight.
"I was. I thought I was about to get hung by the rim so bad, and I thought I was about to get yanked out of the game right away," Hayes admitted he could have missed the dunk.
It was a high-risk decision from Hayes, considering that being too flashy is a costly mistake. Lakers head coach JJ Redick would have been fuming, but it won't be the case since Hayes made the dunk.
Even Doncic was in slight disbelief when it happened. At the end of the day, Hayes and the NBA world will only be remembering how he made the dunk. However, he might hesitate a bit when another opportunity comes in the future.
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