Zach LaVine dedicates dunk contest win to late Flip Saunders

Zach LaVine payed tribute to the great Minnesota Timberwolves coach in a very touching way

Saturday’s dunk contest was one for the ages. Orlando’s Aaron Gordon was in a battle with Minnesota’s Zach LaVine. In the end, Minnesota’s young star won the Slam Dunk title for the second year in a row. While winning the title and all of the glory was great, the 20-year old later confirmed it was for a bigger cause.

LaVine took to his Instagram to dedicate his win to the late Flip Saunders. In an emotional post, LaVine showed how much he cared about the Timberwolves organization and its great coach.

Phillip “Flip” Saunders coached Minnesota from the 1995-1996 season until he was let go during the 2004-2005 season. Throughout that time, the Timberwolves made the playoffs eight seasons in a row. He led the team to their first ever winning season during the 1997-1998 season. He later came back to the team and was named the President of Basketball Operations on May 3, 2013. On June 5, 2014, Saunders went back to coaching the team.

Unfortunately, Flip had to deal with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, stepping down from his coaching role. He passed away on October 25, 2015 after a long fought battle. His impact on the Timberwolves organization was legendary. Kevin Garnett, who started his career with the Timberwolves, made sure to celebrate the memory of Flip in a touching way.

LaVine may be young, but he understood Flip Saunders’ impact on the team. Playing in his sophomore season in the NBA, Zach acted like a true veteran. The Timberwolves have a young squad on the rise. Once they get their chance to shine, I’m sure they will also dedicate their success to Coach Flip.