Portland Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe will reportedly withdraw from the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sharpe will drop out of the event to focus on the Trail Blazers’ final 24 games of the season following the All-Star break. He will be replaced by New York Knicks center Jericho Sims in the contest, which will take place on Feb. 18.
The seventh pick was the first player to commit to the event and started preparing for it last month. He entered the league highly touted for his athleticism and ability as a dunker, and was likely one of the favorites.
With Sharpe out of the running, Sims will compete against Houston Rockets guard KJ Martin, New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III and Mac McClung of the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League.
McClung will be the first player from the G League to compete.
Portland's high-flying rookie Shaedon Sharpe has dropped out of the Dunk Contest in order to focus on second half of Trail Blazers' season, sources said.
Sims joins Houston's KJ Martin, New Orleans' Trey Murphy and G League's Mac McClung as the participants. https://t.co/3wqDaemsKI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2023
Sharpe is averaging 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds on 46.5% shooting from the field in 53 games this season with the Trail Blazers. He has emerged as a key player with the team and figures to be a crucial piece to their postseason hopes over the rest of the season.
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