James White enjoys the simple joys in life, like taking off from the free-throw line and tossing in a dunk only after bringing the ball through his legs. 

Now he is set to bring down the house at the 2013 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest. 

ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling posted this ahead of the official NBA announcement on Thursday. 

From there, Twitter went mad over the possibilities. It makes sense because the usually stale Slam Dunk Contest finally has a player that may very well lift the contest beyond the usual doldrums. 

First, the video from the Russian Slam Dunk Contest, which is still a joy to watch.

Here is another instance where White went HAM at a dunk contest, currently queued to the moment White went between his legs from the free-throw line. 

The enthusiasm from Twitter is palpable: 

Bleacher Report's own Ethan Norof sounds off. 

As does Alex Kennedy. 

Marcel Mutoni shuts it all down. 

If you are unaware of James White, you are not alone. It's hard to catch a glimpse of a player that has been on the court an average of 6.7 minutes per game this season. 

If you are wondering what all the Twitter hubbub is about, consider some of the column from Jared Zwerling about the hopeful hero of the Slam Dunk Contest. 

In it, Kevin Durant sounded off on the 30-year-old highflier he once saw soaring in the gym. 

"I saw James when I was probably like 10, 11 years old," Durant said. "That was the first time I saw him play, in D.C. He was just flying. He jumped from the free throw line, dunked between the legs before anybody I've seen do it. He was like the most athletic guy ever. Hopefully he gets in the dunk contest."

As we now know, he will. 

I think we can all agree the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has nearly exhausted its use, devolving into gimmicks rather than high-flying substance. 

Many have clamored for bigger names to take the court, but the answer may be a YouTube sensation who is a known quantity to a fortunate few. 

That is about to change, because the best-kept secret in dunking is about to get out. 

Hit me up on Twitter for more NBA swagger.