The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend is shaping up to be an incredibly entertaining affair in Salt Lake City, Utah. The league has already put together a fun slate of events that fans have been watching for years.
The 3-point contest, Celebrity Game, Skills Challenge, and other events are going to see a new iteration in Utah this year. The same goes for the Slam Dunk contest that came to define All-Star games in past years.
The NBA has announced the list of judges for the event. Dominique Wilkins, Jamal Crawford, Lisa Leslie, and Harold Miner will be joined by Utah legend Karl Malone on the judge’s tables to grade some of the best dunkers in the league right now.
Karl Malone will be a judge for the Slam Dunk contest pic.twitter.com/HkAlSMThqn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 15, 2023
The Dunk Contest field is lacking in star power, with even rookie Shaedon Sharpe opting out of the event despite his proven dunking ability. This year’s contest will come down to 4 players. These include Kenyon Martin Jr., Mac McClung, Jericho Sims, and Trey Murphy III.
Will The Dunk Contest End Up Disappointing Fans Again?
The once-iconic dunk contest is not a revered event in the NBA anymore. We haven’t seen some of the league’s best dunkers in the modern era participate. This includes LeBron James, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and many more. However, we have had a few incredible contests in recent years.
The 2020 Dunk Contest is the last time the event was incredible, with the battle for the title coming between Aaron Gordon and Derrick Jones Jr, with AG losing in controversial fashion. Gordon gave us another amazing dunk contest performance in 2016 but ended up losing to Zach LaVine in a legendary battle.
This year’s field has youth and excitement, so it’ll be interesting to see how these players use the spotlight of the contest to make their names shine brighter in the NBA.
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