Look through the history of the All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest, and names like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter jump out (literally). It used to be the premier draw of NBA All-Star weekend, but the event has lost a bit of its luster in recent years as the game’s biggest stars have opted not to participate. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum thinks it’s time to restore the event to its former glory. As he told Eddie Gonzalez during a recent livestream:
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“I need them guys to get back in it. I need the Dunk Contest to get back.”
Tatum was asked if he meant that he wants to see more stars entering the Dunk Contest, or just better dunkers. His response indicates that the NBA can have its cake and eat it too.
“We got the best of both worlds. We got stars in this league that play above the rim, and that’s what people really want to see.”
All-Star weekend festivities are meant to showcase the very best basketball players in the world, but for far too long, those stars have chosen to sit the Dunk Contest out.
Jayson Tatum talking with @bansky about wanting the Dunk Contest to be popular again!!
: @bansky pic.twitter.com/GfkjfAyeRK
— Playback (@WatchPlayback) February 12, 2025
Tatum is absolutely right. Mac McClung is a great dunker, which is why he’s won the past two years, but he’s not a household name because he plays in the G League. Nobody except hardcore basketball fans know who he is.
Not to join the LeBron James hate train, but the event really started to go downhill when, as a young superstar, James chose not to participate. When even the biggest star in the game couldn’t be bothered to put on a show, the rest of the league’s stars followed suit. James has been in the league for more than 21 years and has never done the dunk.
Will the NBA’s biggest stars ever make the Dunk Contest cool again?
Tatum indirectly called out guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant, but it looks like the days of All-NBA players rocking the rim on All-Star weekend are over. Morant basically said as much in an interview with Taylor Rooks from 2021, saying that it would take a million dollars for him to enter. Mind you, this was when he was making less than $10 million a year. Now that he has a five-year, $197 million deal, there’s probably no amount that could get him to say yes.
Therein lies the problem, not just with the Dunk Contest, but with the All-Star Game itself, which is why the NBA changed its format this year in an attempt to make play more competitive. The players just make too much money to a) care, and to b) want to risk injuring themselves for something that’s just a glorified exhibition.
All across sports, All-Star games are becoming more irrelevant by the year. The NFL no longer holds a traditional Pro Bowl. The NHL seemingly revamps their format every year in an attempt to stay relevant. Major League Baseball, at one point, gave the league that won the All-Star Game home field advantage in the World Series, a desperate and crazy move that was eventually rescinded.
The ability to watch any player in the league on any given night has lessened the thrill of getting to see them perform on All-Star weekend. NBA League Pass and Twitter ensure that we can see our favorite players 24/7, and that’s never going away. Unless a future superstar goes against the grain, Tatum and the rest of us will just have to get used to the idea that the Dunk Contest isn’t going to matter like it used to.
