Zach LaVine

Zachary LaVine (born March 10, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick by the Timberwolves. He is a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion.

LaVine grew up in Washington, where he was honored as the state's top high school player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. After one season at UCLA, he entered the NBA after being named one of the top freshmen in the Pac-12 Conference. As a rookie with Minnesota, he won the league's Slam Dunk Contest, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In 2016, he became just the fourth NBA player to ever win consecutive dunk contests.

Early life

LaVine was born in Renton, Washington, to athletic parents. His father, Paul, played American football professionally in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL), and his mother, CJ, was a softball player. Around the age of five, LaVine developed an interest in basketball after watching Michael Jordan in Space Jam. He later became a fan of Kobe Bryant, and modeled his game after his childhood idol.