Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine had a classy gesture after defending his slam dunk title last Saturday at the 2016 All-Star Weekend, offering the victory to their former head coach, the late Flip Saunders.
LaVine topped the Orlando Magic's Aaron Gordon in a thriller to earn his second consecutive slam dunk championship.
Following the competition, LaVine posted on Instagram a photo of the trophy and a jersey that has "Flip" on its back and the infinity logo.
LaVine had this caption for the post: "I dedicate this dunk contest and the trophy to my late coach, Flip Saunders and the Saunders family. He's the one that always believed in me and drafted me! We all loved Flip and his memory will live on forever! #loveyacoach #2016dunkchamp"
The 20-year-old guard was selected by the Timberwolves 13th overall in the 2014 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft and had the chance to be coached by Saunders for one complete season.
Unfortunately, Saunders was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma back in August and was later announced to miss the entire 2015–16 NBA season.
On Oct. 25, 2015, Saunders passed away at the age of 60 because of the disease, despite getting treatment since he was diagnosed.
It was a sad day for the Timberwolves who lost a significant man that brought so much success to the franchise, dating back to his first stint in 1995.
Saunders left Minnesota in 2005 and coached the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards before coming back to the Timberwolves in June 2014.
The disease gave Saunders a hard time fulfilling head coaching duties, which paved the way for assistant coach Sam Mitchell to take over.
Following the death of Saunders, Mitchell became the official head coach of the Timberwolves.
It has been a tough year and season for the Timberwolves who are again looking at another losing campaign, currently 13th in the Western Conference standings with a 17–37 record.
However, the promise of their young and rising stars like LaVine gives the organization hope for a brighter future.
