LeBron James and the Dunk Contest: Why Give the Haters Something Else To Hate?

LeBron James confirmed over the weekend that he won’t participate in the NBA's slam dunk contest during this year's All-Star Weekend.

I don’t blame him—because he can’t win.

If he triumphs, so what? He was supposed to.

If he loses, then he really doesn’t win. He just becomes a greater object of ridicule to those who already hold him in disdain.

James has far more to lose from his participation than he—or anyone else—has to gain.

Let’s face it, the level of animosity directed at James by certain fans, and some in the media, is puzzling, if not downright astonishing.

The man has amassed the most impressive statistics in the early part of his career of any player who entered the NBA directly out of high school. He is a gift to the game, blessed by the basketball gods to do what he does in a way that only he can. In a league that constantly hypes “amazing,” he is that, with remarkable frequency.

No matter. He’s not as good as Michael Jordan was, or Kobe Bryant is, or Kevin Durant will be, say the haters. So there.

How about the fact that, by all accounts, LeBron has been a model citizen since his arrival in the NBA in 2003? He’s a great teammate, and the leader of his team in both word and example.

"So what?" the critics shout. He walked off the court when the Cavaliers were eliminated from the 2009 playoffs by Orlando. He didn’t shake a single hand.

You’d have thought it was the start of World War III.

The man was just upset. He didn’t criticize anyone. He didn’t point fingers. He simply got off the stage, because it suddenly belonged to someone else.

By any reckoning, LeBron’s been a winner. He even carried a team to the NBA Finals at an age when most players are seniors in college—a team that sported such luminaries as Larry Hughes, Eric Snow and Drew Gooden in its starting lineup.

Big deal, say the naysayers. The San Antonio Spurs won, and the Cavaliers lost. LeBron still hasn’t won a thing, and Kobe’s got four rings.

And so it goes.

There’s a web site devoted to the dislike of LeBron: www.ihatelebronjames.com .

There’s a sports columnist who is devoted to the same thing: Tom Knott of the Washington Times.

There’s even a television commentator who loves to get in his digs: Skip Bayless of ESPN2.

James is in his seventh year, and it’s clear he knows who he is. He doesn’t need more accolades. They already come at a dizzying pace.

Player of the week, Player of the month, Rookie of the Year, All-Star MVP, All-Defensive Team, NBA scoring champion and League MVP—He doesn’t need more endorsements. He already has his share. His Nike star shines as brightly as that of his friend and rival from Hollywood.

He doesn’t need New York, or New Jersey, or Los Angeles. He already works for an owner who has had enough sense to forge deep business ties to China—a massive, relatively untapped market that even Stephon Marbury had the good sense sense to turn to.

He doesn’t need an entourage. He’s as loyal to his high school teammates today as he was when they played together earlier in the decade. He remembers his roots and is proud that his hometown of Akron, Ohio is now on the map.

He doesn’t need more money. He has tons, with tons more to come. He’ll make his billion—a goal that he’s set for himself—because, well, he can.

To all of those things listed above, a slam dunk title will make no difference.

LeBron knows that.

Did he say, a year ago, that he was “preliminarily” (OK, college might have helped, there) throwing his hat in the ring for this year’s contest? Yes, he did.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer , he hoped that another big name star would join him—a Dwayne Wade, perhaps, or a Durant—to make it a star-studded event, but it didn’t happen. So he changed his mind.

I don’t blame him. If the reaction to this decision is any indication, he couldn’t have won for losing.