All-Star Dunk Contest PA Mistakenly Introduced Eric Bledsoe as a L.A. Laker

The PA announcer at the 2013 All-Star Dunk Contest gave fans in Hollywood a jolt when he mistakenly introduced Eric Bledsoe as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

For a moment there, Laker fans probably thought they were saved.

Bledsoe, in theory, would give the struggling Lakers the injection of athleticism and defensive aggression they so desperately need.

Unfortunately, the mistake was somewhere between a Freudian slip and an understandable case of tongue fatigue. The poor guy had been trying to talk over Nick Cannon all night, so his cloudy recognition skills and vocal miscues get a pass.

With the way things have gone lately between the Lakers and L.A. Clippers, it's hard to imagine either front office even wanting to talk to one another, let alone broker a deal for the young point guard. Still, many held out hope until the Twitterverse piped up to squash it.

Considering the Lakers take most of their cues from team leader and resident potty-mouth Kobe Bryant, we know the franchises are hardly on speaking terms at the moment.

"

Kobe Bryant on playing in the All-Star game with two Clippers: "I don't feel like f***ing looking at those guys right now."

— chris haladjian (@LALakersInsider) February 15, 2013"

Mistaken identity aside, Bledsoe went on to throw in a handful of the contest's most impressive dunks. However, his refusal to sully the illustrious tradition of the dunk contest by slamming without the use of props cost him. He didn't even make the final round.

He'll be remembered as a purist, though. And that counts for something.

On a serious note, there's a pretty decent chance that Bledsoe does end up on another team before the NBA trade deadline. He's been mentioned in a huge potential deal that would reshape the face of the Western Conference.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Celtics and Clippers have been discussing a potential deal that would send Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan to Boston for Kevin Garnett.

At the moment, though, Bledsoe is a Clipper.

And in a long season of dashed hopes, this most recent downer must feel just about right for Lakers fans.