Vince Carter Says LeBron, Kobe, McGrady Were Offered $1M to Do NBA Slam Dunk Contest

The NBA is well aware the public perception of its dunk contest is floundering, but the league's efforts to revive superstar interest in the contest have not gone well thus far.

Vince Carter, whose 2000 dunk contest performance ranks as arguably the greatest of all time, said the NBA attempted to offer him and several other superstars $1 million to do the contest at some point in the past.

"I know for a fact, some years back, the NBA tried this tactic as far as upping the ante a little bit, a million dollars," Carter said on his podcast. "They threw around some names, I remember it was LeBron, Kobe, T-Mac—my name was thrown in there of course, and it was a few other people for $1 million. But you obviously couldn't get the commitment of everyone to do it."

Of the four players named, LeBron James is the only one who never did the dunk contest. Carter (2000) and Kobe Bryant (1997) are both past winners, while McGrady participated in the 2000 contest won by his cousin.

The 2023 NBA Slam Dunk contest may be the least star-studded in history. Mac McClung, who is on a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and has spent his season in the G League, is arguably the biggest household name. McClung is joined by KJ Martin, Trey Murphy III and Jericho Sims, a trio of young role players who have not carved their name out on a national level.

Superstars have increasingly eschewed participating in the dunk contest for reasons that remain unclear, though the league could add some extra incentives moving forward. The winner of the dunk contest receives $100,000 under current rules, which is a relative pittance when stars are earning upwards of $30 million per season.