LeBron James has accomplished a lot his 20 years in the NBA except for one thing. NBA fans have always wondered why James never participated in the Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA All-Star weekend, and they finally have their answer. He has hinted and teased at the idea for years but never actually followed through.
He recently gave an explanation about why that was never on his to-do list entering the NBA.
No to the Dunk Contest
James impressive NBA résumé is near perfect. He appeared in 10 NBA Finals, won four NBA titles, won four regular season MVP awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards, and sits at the top of the NBA all-time scoring list. He never competed in a Slam Dunk Contest like many other NBA legends.
The 38-year-old recently was asked why he never competed by Bally Sports senior writer Brandon Robinson, and he finally gave NBA fans an explanation.
“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?” James told Bally Sports. “Making the NBA All-Star Team was, being the league MVP, winning Defensive Player of the Year, 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.”
Killed the Dunk Contest
James achieved everything he sought out to do but also added another accomplishment he never expected to his list of achievements. Media members and NBA fans believed his choice of not participating in the dunk contest has similarly discouraged the younger generation of NBA players from entering the competition.
The one chance fans thought they’d have to see him compete was in the 2011 contest. In 2010, James guaranteed he would enter the contest the next year when he spoke with Cheryl Miller during an interview.
Fans clammored at the opportunity to see a modern day version of Michael Jordan versus Dominique Wilkins type matchup in the slam dunk contest. It is clear that the 38-year-old will not be participating at this point.
The thought of the NBA dunk contest being completely thrown out has been floated around but nothing is concrete. The format changed from individual to team style in 2014 to create a new buzz but the idea didn’t last long. The contest once had winners such as Wilkins, Jordan, Vince Carter, and Dwight Howard. It is now in search of a new star to emerge to give the contest new life.
