The NBA Dunk Contest has been a staple of the league for decades. In the past, it has featured some of the greatest and most memorable basketball moments ever.
But after the 2016 contest, there has been a noticeable dip in approval ratings.
This year, despite some impressive dunks, both fans and analysts seemed more disappointed than ever before. Online, countless Tweets were posted slamming the event and calling for a change.
I’m going to do the nicest thing I could possibly do pertaining to this @Nba Slam-Dunk Contest: I’m not going to utter a single-damn word………………..until Monday on @FirstTake. See y’all soon then.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 20, 2022
I shoulda went to bed after KAT won the three-point contest.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 20, 2022
Either I’m washed or these all-star events and performances have mostly been terrible or maybe both things are true
— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) February 20, 2022
The big mistake for years has been putting the Dunk Contest last. It’s supposed to be the closer and it rarely closes – or may even bomb like the one tonight. 3-point contest way more reliable every year.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 20, 2022
The 2022 dunk contest in a photo pic.twitter.com/5JPypx0ibd
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) February 20, 2022
Live look at the NBA Dunk Contest…#NBAAllStar #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/vjNcrej793
— BetUS NBA (@BetUS_NBA) February 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/Eastbay/status/1495240968429133825
The evolution of the NBA Slam Dunk contest:
Shaq is all of us tonight #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/rF9L82MdKW
— DUGGAN 🎙 (@SidelineDuggs) February 20, 2022
The last good dunk contest was 6 years ago. pic.twitter.com/6smLUgKxl7
— Slam (@slamstudios) February 20, 2022
this dunk contest pic.twitter.com/LRmeERWLAb
— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) February 20, 2022
It’s clear that something is wrong with the dunk contest. Whether it’s the amount of missed attempts, the lack of star participants, or simply a decrease in the quality and creativity of the dunks, something isn’t working.
It’s also possible that the contest in 2016 was so good, it ruined the competition for good. Aaron Gordon may have warned us years ago.
“I have some fears that I ruined the dunk contest, that people aren’t going to want to do it anymore,” Gordon said. “I hope that people see ‘Mr. 50’ and are inspired and continue to elevate that dunk contest because there are still dunks that haven’t been done. I’m not going to do them, but I hope somebody comes in and does them. It’s a great event. It’s beautiful for the game.”
Fortunately, the NBA is pretty good at adapting and changing pre-existing formulas. They’ve changed the skills challenge and All-Star game with varying degrees of success, so there’s no reason to believe they would not be open to testing out different ideas for the dunk contest.
Whatever the case, the NBA has to save this classic event. If done the right way, it’s easily the best and most exciting part of the night.
This year, it wasn’t like that for many fans.
Let’s hope that changes soon.
