The Slam Dunk contest during the All-Star weekends has now become a source of frustration for its viewers. Kenyon Martin recently became the latest addition to the list, who are annoyed with it, as he openly lambasted the lack of ferocity in the event. In the last episode of Gil’s Arena, the 46-year-old voiced his displeasure while shedding light on the instances of the contest.
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The Michigan-born initially reflected on “guys that’s been in dunk contest” while “judging history” of the event.
“It’s a dunk contest. Vince wasn’t barely throwin’ that b***h in. Jason Richardson wasn’t barely throwing that b***h in. Desmond Mason wasn’t barely, Tracy McGrady wasn’t barely throwing, even though he didn’t win. Like they weren’t barely making dunks,” K-Mart mentioned.
Following that, the 2004 All-Star criticized the efforts of the recent participants, stating, “That’s a fingertip dunk. That’s some s**t that you try in warmups like, ‘Oh s**t, I did it'”. Soon after that, the former power forward praised the two-time winner Mac McClung before displaying further annoyance.
“Some of this other s**t I’m seeing, nah I’m not impressed,” he added.
“It’s a dunk contest. Vince wasn’t barely throwin’ that b*tch in. Jason Richardson wasn’t barely throwin’ that b*tch in. Desmond Mason…Tracy McGrady wasn’t barely throwin’…even though he didn’t win!”
Kenyon Martin is tryna find out what happened to DUNKERS? pic.twitter.com/7KHaW63vwn
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) February 19, 2024
Despite carrying a certain volume of truth, his statements mostly portrayed the evolution of the event through the wrong lens. Even during the previous decades, several participants lacked the defining explosiveness to inject excitability into the contest. Undoubtedly, the dunks seemingly used to be more creative than today capturing a steep decline in adopting an innovative approach.
What tops them all is the fact, that no big names from the league are willing to participate in the contest. Earlier, legends of the game like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant regularly used to entertain the fans with their participation in the contest.
All these reasons have become a major source of infuriating for the NBA fans as Martin pointed out through the harsh comments.
Kenyon Martin is not the only critic
In a recent episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith took matters to the extreme as he credited LeBron James “for ruining Slam Dunk contest”.
“Every high jumper, every skywalker, every above-the-rim talent salivated for the opportunity to compete in the Slam Dunk contest. It stopped when LeBron James said, ‘I’m not doing it,'” he mentioned.
The 56-year-old highlighted how it resulted in the future generation deprioritizing the contest altogether. “The tradition that was set by other preceding LeBron James” came to a sudden halt precisely due to this decision.
The remarks from the sports analyst remain a debatable one yet the aspect of frustration remains constant. This grew the disappointment surrounding the occasion even further as several pondered about its relevance going forward. The NBA certainly needs to look into the matter as the seasoned viewers of the league hope for a revival of the competition.
