Oladipo explains story behind 'Black Panther' mask in Slam Dunk contest

Victor Oladipo got to channel his inner superhero during the 2018 Slam Dunk contest, donning a "Black Panther" mask that was presented to him by the star of the film, Chadwick Boseman.

The Indiana Pacers shooting guard spoke about how that moment came about with Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated.

"I wasn't the one who kind of came up with it. People in my camp kind of came up with it. They understand comics, so they kind of came up with it," Oladipo explained. "We had mutual friends, me and Chad. We got a hold of him and he was gonna be in the arena, luckily. It kind of just worked out on itself, and I felt like it was the right time to bring that out just because 'Black Panther' is such a monumental statement.

"It's part of a movement in our generation that will go down in history as obviously one of the first black superheroes, and I just felt as though it needed to be brought into the NBA and I thought it would be a great idea to add him into it. He was with it and they got the approval from Disney, and it just turned out the way it turned out. I'm just glad I made the dunk."

Oladipo didn't come out victorious in the contest, but as he revealed in the interview, he had a hard time breathing or seeing through the mask.

"I couldn't breathe or really see in the mask. But I just had to make the dunk, make it a special moment," he said. "It was awesome, man. I was just glad to be a part of it."