- The slam dunk contest has seen a decline in big names
- Dominique Wilkins believes the players are worried about their legacy
- Once a decorated event, the slam dunk contest has been stead losing sheen
Dominique Wilkins was undoubtedly one of the best dunkers of his era, and the former NBA legend shared his two cents on why some of the most athletic and explosive stars in the modern-day NBA don’t enter the Slam Dunk contest.
Speaking to VLAD TV, Wilkins believed much of it was about the desire and partly due to the fear of damaging their legacy.
“I think the problem is I don’t think anyone wants to know who the best is,” Wilkins said. “We wanted to know who the best was. When Mike [Michael Jordan] and I went head up, we wanted to know who the best was. It really wasn’t about us, it was about the fans.”
He further added:
“A lot of times I think they feel it’s going to mess with their legacy, and it’s not.”
While at it, Wilkins also picked Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant as the player who would win the Slam Dunk contest if he entered.
An avid competitor of the contest himself, Wilkins won the slam dunk contest on two occasions. The first was in 1984, followed by his second in 1990.
Given the rapid decline of the fame of the contest that was once looked at as one of the thrilling events during the All-Star Games weekend, maybe a few big names signing up would rekindle the lost spark. But as Wilkins rightly pointed out, there’s enough the top names will feel is at stake.
Will The NBA Slam Dunk Contest Ever Get Back To It’s Glory Days?
After Zach LaVine’s explosive emergence in 2015 and his mega showdown with Aaron Gordon the following season, the last few years of the Slam Dunk contest have been a damp squib. The NBA still has some big-name dunkers, but they are a no-show to what began as a stunt contest in the 70s.
And according to Washington Post NBA reporter Ben Golliver, LeBron James, one of the most athletic players in the modern-day NBA has to shoulder some of the blame as he never took part in the competition during his younger days (via Insider).
“I also personally blame LeBron James a little bit because [he’s] the natural person to take the baton and the responsibility of saying, ‘Screw it. I don’t care if there’s going to be haters. I’m going to go out there and do it because it’s good for the game,'” Golliver said. “He told us once that he was going to do it during one of the dunk contests, saying he’ll be there next year. He didn’t show up the next year.”
While it’s debatable as to whether James should be blamed or not, there is no doubt that the event has for some reason failed to garner the attention it should be really deserving. Hopefully, the 2023-24 season sees a change.
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