Stephen A. Smith Blasts LeBron James For Killing The Slam Dunk Contest

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Stephen A. Smith is not happy after the debacle that was the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. With another year of poor dunks and a lack of star power outside Jaylen Brown, Smith has called out LeBron James once again for ruining the Slam Dunk Contest with his refusal to participate in previous events during his prime.

“LeBron James is directly responsible for ruining the slam dunk contest… The slam dunk contest, from 1985 to 1997, five of the 13 contests were won by future Hall of Famers… Every high-jumper, skywalker, and above-the-rim talent, salivated for the opportunity to participate in the dunk contest. It stopped when LeBron said I’m not doing it… There is no one who knows basketball that would refute what I am saying. LeBron James refusing to participate was the beginning and the spark plug of its demise. Period! There is no one who can dispute that.”

LeBron has been one of the league’s best dunkers for the last 20 years, with fans wanting to see those talents play out on the Dunk Contest stage. James has committed to the contest previously and then refused to participate, which has been frustrating for fans and media members who have been wanting to see the best dunkers in the NBA participate.

James has previously explained why he never participated.

“I don’t think it was something I wanted to accomplish in my career; it’s not a goal of mine, and it never was coming into the NBA to be a part of the Dunk Contest, you know? Making the NBA All-Star Team was, being the league MVP, winning Defensive Player of the Year, and winning NBA Championships…? Those were some goals of mine. The NBA Dunk Contest was never a goal of mine so, it wasn’t something that I had too much passion for,”

James’ refusal has led to a new generation of dunkers thinking they’re above the contest, with the likes of Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and Anthony Edwards ignoring the contest. Whether their refusals can be blamed on LeBron is another matter, but it seems like we’ll never see the top stars in the NBA participate in the competition again.

The NBA Once Offered $1 Million To LeBron And Other Superstars To Participate In The Dunk Contest

The NBA has been looking for ways to incentivize the league’s stars to participate in the dunk contest, with the league reportedly even offering $1 million to stars that compete. Vince Carter revealed this story, as he said the NBA tried to entice him, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron to participate with the money on offer.

“I know for a fact, some years back, the NBA tried this tactic as far as upping the ante a little bit, a million dollars. They threw around some names, I remember it was LeBron, Kobe, T-Mac—my name was thrown in there of course, and it was a few other people for $1 million. But you obviously couldn’t get the commitment of everyone to do it.”

With this never really working out, it’s clear money isn’t going to be the solution. While modern dunkers have asked the league to put up money to encourage competition, the NBA hasn’t done that so far. If next year’s contest has a cash prize or appearance fee associated with it, we may see the stars back in action. But there’s no guarantee of that, so the dunk contest may just be a relic of the past now.

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