It’s no secret that NBA All-Star Weekend has lost its luster in recent years, but nothing has been hit harder from a public relations standpoint than the dunk contest. What once attracted the biggest stars in the game has, for a long time now, become a showcase for bench guys, rookies and G Leaguers that fans haven’t heard of.
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Despite a constant pressure campaign to get guys like LeBron James, Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards to join the dunk contest, it just hasn’t happened. We used to have Michael vs. Dominique. We used to have Vince Carter defying gravity. We used to be a proper country!
The dunk contest has fallen on such hard times that even the 3-point contest is a more anticipated event. Obviously the actual play style of the game has shifted more towards outside shooting, but when guys like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson are willing to put themselves out there, it’s no wonder that the 3-point contest has eclipsed its once-revered sister event.
Reggie Miller, a former marksman himself, joined The Dan Patrick Show this week to talk all things All-Star Weekend. And his comments on the dunk contest, which three-time defending champ Mac McClung would not be participating in this year, were sad but true.
“There’s only so many dunks a human being can possibly do,” Miller said, “and I give him credit because he saved the dunk contest the last few years. If you’re not gonna have big names, thank God Mac brought the funk as we call it, because he saved the dunk contest.”
Besides the lack of star power, Miller said the 3-point contest has surpassed the dunk contest for a simple reason: it’s much easier to follow. “Everyone’s counting in the arena,” he explained of the 3-point contest.
“You just don’t know in the dunk contest if a guy’s gonna make a dunk, how many attempts he gets. The luster comes off when he misses his first dunk. At least in the 3-point competition, it’s make or miss, and you know the number,” Miller added.
There’s definitely been some boxing-level shadiness in some of the dunk contest judging over the years. Sure, it’s easier to follow the 3-point contest, but still, nothing beats the pure ecstasy of seeing a guy pull off an insane dunks. If the NBA’s best athletes and biggest names took part in the dunk contest, it could easily reclaim its throne.
The league has tried to innovate on some of its events. The Steph Curry-Sabrina Ionescu crossover 3-point contest was a smashing success, and though none of the attempts to revive the actual All-Star Game have succeeded, you can’t say Adam Silver isn’t trying.
Something needs to be done about the dunk contest, especially now that McClung has abdicated the throne. He wasn’t a star outside of that event, but at least fans knew they could count on him to put on a show.
This year’s participants have not yet been announced, so let’s all keep our fingers crossed for a pleasant surprise.
