Blazers' Shaedon Sharpe Drops Out of 2023 Dunk Contest; Knicks' Jericho Sims Replaces

New York Knicks center Jericho Sims will reportedly replace Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe as a participant in the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Sharpe dropped out of the competition to focus on the second half of the Blazers' season.

Sims will join three other reported participants in Houston Rockets wing Kenyon Martin Jr., New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III and G League guard Mac McClung.

About one month ago, Charania reported that Sharpe had committed to take part in the contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, and he arguably would have been the most celebrated participant among fans.

Sharpe was the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft, and the 19-year-old Canadian has played fairly well as a rookie, averaging 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game.

Dating back to his high school days, Sharpe has been an impressive dunker, and his uncommon athleticism has been on display at times during his young NBA career as well:

While Sharpe is a significant loss for the dunk contest, Sims brings a unique element to the competition.

At 6'10", the 24-year-old Sims is the tallest player in this year's event, meaning he may be able to pull off some dunks that Martin, Murphy and McClung simply can't.

Sims is a second-year man out of Texas and was one of the final picks in the 2021 draft.

While he was a somewhat unheralded selection at the time, Sims has worked his way into the Knicks rotation this season and become a key part of the frontcourt.

He has appeared in 43 games, is averaging 3.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest and shooting a remarkable 80.9 percent from the field, with many of his points coming via dunks.

Given his size, power and athleticism, Sims could put on a show in the dunk contest, and he may be the top dark-horse candidate to win the whole thing.