The NBA All-Star weekend used to be a must-see event, abundant in superstar talent and highlighted by the slam dunk contest. Now the weekend has become uneventful and is highlighted by a dunk contest that is starving for superstar talent.
This year’s dunk contestants include Boston’s Gerald Green, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas and New York’s Nate Robinson.
The event has become a mockery and the only way the league can even get these no-name players to take part in the contest is by offering a cash prize for their participation.
Tyrus Thomas put it best when he said, “I’m just in to the free money. That’s it. I’ll just do whatever when I get out there.”
These remarks cost Thomas $10,000, but it makes no difference to him as he will still cash out this weekend with at least $6,000 (the cash prize for fourth-place is $16,000) and a free trip to Vegas.
What happened to the days when the superstars enjoyed putting on a show for the fans because they felt it was their responsibility to the game, not because of a slim cash prize?
The days of Michael Jordan taking off from the foul line, Dominique Wilkins’ dazzling dunks and Julius Erving’s elegant style are gone.
Now we are stuck with a group of mediocre dunkers who are lucky if they make SportsCenter’s top ten. Last year’s defending champion, Nate Robinson, was impressive with his dunking ability (as he is only 5 feet 9 inches tall), but he had to have 13 attempts before he even made a dunk.
The true superstars and well-known names of today’s game such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony try to avoid the event every year and would rather sit in the audience as spectators than participate in the contest.
These superstars owe it to the game to participate in at least one dunk contest and give the fans a reason to watch the event like in the days of Jordan and Dominique.
But today’s superstars are much different than those who were around just ten years ago.
Today’s stars feel that they owe nothing to the game. They feel it is sufficient to show up to the All-Star game and that they do not need to put on any more of a show for the fans.
The truth is that the fans could care less about the actual game than they do about the spectacle of the whole weekend.
The dunk contest is what makes the weekend so special. It is what the fans remember. The memories everyone has of past NBA All-Star weekends all include the dunk contest.
This year’s panel of judges includes five of the greatest dunkers in the history of the contest: Jordan, Dominique, Dr. J (Erving), Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter.
Maybe these superstars of the past should just suit up one more time and put on a show for the fans, even though they do not owe anything more to us.
Regardless of their age, or if they are still able to dazzle us with their spectacular dunks, I would much rather pay to see these five men take the court and just stand there than see the four men who will be participating in the event.
After all, I bet a champion could be crowned from this group of former contest winners without needing 13 attempts to make the winning dunk.
Zach Faulds can be reached at [email protected].
