LeBron James has done a lot over the course of his 17-year career. As a 17x All-Star, 16x All-NBA player, 4x MVP, and 2x Olympic gold medalist, there are few who can say they have built a comparable resume.
But one thing James never did, and probably will never do, is compete in the NBA’s annual Slam-Dunk contest. Considering the guy is an elite player, an excellent dunker, and the face of basketball, there is no question the NBA has called him up with invites several times over the years.
For whatever reason, he declined them all, and some folk just can’t help but poke a little fun at it.
When the topic of the 2021 dunk contest came up, one of James’ former teammates, Richard Jefferson, called him out on “The Jump.”
(start at 2:00)
“Bron is 100% afraid. He’s 100% afraid. Bron didn’t want that. He didn’t have all that…”
Jefferson and LeBron are former teammates and friends, and it couldn’t be any clearer that RJ is joking here. In reality, nobody really knows why LeBron never participated in the dunk contest, and we’ll probably never know.
Is the pressure of the contest too much for him to handle? Does he not have the confidence he could win? Is he just trying to preserve himself and prevent the risk of injury?
Most likely, Bron just doesn’t care. James has bigger fish to fry than trying to worry about winning a dunk contest, so it makes sense that he would stay away from competing in one. Still, it’s a shame we never got to see it — because it would have been quite the treat.
