Draymond Green recently went all out when asked about his opinion of the upcoming dunk contest. During a segment of the ‘Draymond Green Show‘, the Warriors forward had serious doubts about the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest. He believes that the entry of MacClung and other G-League players into the NBA Dunk Contest defeats the purpose of the competition. Rather, the NBA and the G-League are separate entities, and shouldn’t mix their events.
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Green also believes that the incentive for participation in the dunk contest has faded. He even called for an entire revamp of the All-Star Weekend, and addressing his concerns further, he added,
“What I am getting at here is that can you call it the same NBA Dunk Contest that Dr J, Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson and Dominique Wilkins…like can we call this the same dunk contest that those guys were in? “
Green seems to have a point here. The Dunk Contest used to be full of All-Stars. The ’80s and ’90s saw the likes of Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and Kobe Bryant take part. As of today, the Dunk Contest is mostly reserved for rookies and bench players, with stars such as LeBron James and Zion Williamson refusing to be part of the lineup. This impacts fans’ interest in the event and defeats the purpose behind organizing such events. Additionally, the last time the slam dunk contest had some fire was in 2016.
The Dunk Contest needs more LaVine-Gordon
The numbers for the Dunk Contest have been declining for over a decade now (2023 had a record low viewership, 3.4 million), and the recent line-ups could be a major reason. The last time an All-Star participated in a dunk contest was back in 2014, when John Wall, Paul George, and Damian Lillard took part.
Even with the dunk contest being rather lackluster over the last decade or more, there have been times when the contest turned out to be a complete show-stopper. One such occasion was the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest. In that, Lavine would take on Aaron Gordon in the finals, and what happened next was one for the history books.
Both participants threw down 50-point bombs one after another, with LaVine finally sealing the deal with a between-the-legs free-throw line dunk. Even though fans remain divided as to who won the 2016 contest, the object was perfectly met by LaVine and Gordon. The Dunk Contest is supposed to be a spectacle like none other, a magical show of athletic and acrobatic prowess. It is surely surprising that the league isn’t able to incentivize its stars to participate in one of its most prestigious competitions.
