Vince Carter Reveals How LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady Rejected Dunk Contest Despite $1M Payday

Joseph Galizia | 12/02/2026
LeBron James (L), Kobe Bryant (C), and Tracy McGrady (R)

The NBA Dunk Contest used to feel like a must-see event, one where top stars actually wanted to participate and where you could feel the pride players took in putting on a show. Vince Carter’s 2000 performance still lives rent-free in fans’ heads, with the arm-in-the-rim dunk essentially becoming basketball folklore. Now, it is hard to pretend that same magic is still there.

The biggest names usually sit out the dunk contest these days. The league often leans on G League or lesser-known dunk specialists like Mac McClung to carry the event, and while they are creative, it does not hit the same. Part of the thrill was seeing elite players risk a bit of their cool factor to chase a defining moment, and that rarely happens anymore.

So when Carter and fellow Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady spoke about the subject, they also spilled some surprising details about an unknown offer that they, along with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, had received, as revealed on the latest episode of their podcast.

“They wanted me, you, Kobe, and Bron for sure for a million dollars. I said, ‘I’m in if everybody else is in,'” stated Carter.

It easily would have been the NBA’s biggest dunk contest of all time. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition. “No, no, no. I’m good,” said T-Mac, recalling the answer that he gave to the league. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one who said no. Kobe and The King denied it as well. Only Carter accepted.

“I felt like, at the end of the day, I would love to get a confirmation, but I felt like I was the only one that said yes. Never got a phone call back and it kind of faded away,” he added.

Poor Vince. He would have loved to show up the other legends in an area where he was in complete control of the outcome. VC was basically Thanos after collecting all the Infinity Stones in the dunk contest. Unstoppable.

Hearing that story almost feels like a snapshot of why the contest slipped. The league was willing to pay, Carter was willing to compete, but the culture had already started shifting toward brand protection and risk management.

Today’s stars think long-term about image, contracts, and social media clips that live forever, and one missed dunk can turn into a meme faster than a made one becomes a classic. That does not make them soft. It simply shows how the business has changed, but it does leave fans missing that old, fearless energy.

If the dunk contest ever becomes “an event” again, it will probably take one bold superstar deciding the legacy boost is worth more than the risk, the way Vince once did. Until then, fans will keep watching clips on social media, because these days it is only worth about the length of a tweet anyway.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Kobe Bryant LeBron James Tracy McGrady Vince Carter

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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