It’s no secret the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Saturday just doesn’t have the same vibe or excitement it did a generation ago. This year’s dunk contest was devoid of any real creativity or innovation, and the truth is, it has been that way for quite some time.
Even in the 2010s, when various players started getting creative with various gimmicks that hadn’t been used before, there wasn’t the same intrigue or allure surrounding the competition that it had in the 1980s and 1990s.
Critics point to the fact big-name stars simply don’t participate in it during the current era. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith took it a step further, saying Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James “is directly responsible for ruining the Slam Dunk Contest.”
"LeBron James is directly responsible for ruining the slam dunk contest… LeBron James refusing to participate… was the beginning and the spark plug of its demise. Period! There is no one who can dispute that."
– Stephen A. Smith 🤔pic.twitter.com/zrmazKBqO5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 19, 2024
“LeBron James is directly responsible for ruining the Slam Dunk Contest,” Smith said. “Every high jumper, every skywalker, every above-the-rim talent salivated for the opportunity to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest. It stopped when LeBron James said, ‘I’m not doing it.’ And from that point forward, the stars who followed didn’t feel compelled to prioritize a Slam Dunk Contest. LeBron James refusing to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest was the beginning and the spark plug of its demise. Period! There is no one who can dispute that.”
Back in the day, it was common to see superstars and Hall of Famers competing in the Slam Dunk Contest. In fact, as Smith pointed out, during a 13-year span from 1985 to 1997, a Hall of Famer won the title five times. In fact, Atlanta Hawks great Dominique Wilkins was in the contest a whopping five times.
Even some of the non-Hall of Famers who won the contest back then were well known to even casual fans. Larry Nance Sr. took home the crown during the NBA’s inaugural Slam Dunk Contest in 1984 by beating out legendary dunker Julius Erving. Cedric Ceballos, who earned an All-Star game nod in 1995 as a member of the Lakers, won the contest in 1992 by dunking while blindfolded.
As recently as the 2000s, Vince Carter and Dwight Howard, both of whom will eventually be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, brought a bit of interest and excitement to a contest that was quickly dying out.
There is no doubt James is one of the league’s most influential figures and has been for a long time. If he is indeed responsible for the dunk contest becoming dormant, it will be up to the NBA’s other leading lights to rescue it from the dark.