LeBron James: Heat Star Would Repair Tarnished Image with Slam Dunk Contest

LeBron James needs to compete in the 2012 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Competition to repair his tattered image.

He's become one of the most hated figures in all of sports, and I wouldn't hesitate to call him one of the most selfish.

LeBron seemingly only cares about one thing—himself—and even though that is his right as a person, I firmly believe he needs to do something for the fans of the NBA.

He needs to compete in the Slam Dunk competition and give the fans that he's turned off something to cheer about.

He needs this to start resurrecting his image.

There's no other reason for him to be in it, but this one is important enough.

He doesn't have anything to prove—besides winning a championship or four or five—as we all know that he's one of the most ferocious dunkers in the league. He has an amazing blend of speed, power and athleticism that makes him absolutely stunning above the rim.

The Slam Dunk Competition won't do anything to validate or invalidate that.

While he doesn't have anything to prove, he does have a lot to lose.

The pressure was on him to win a championship with the Miami Heat and the Big Three last season, and it will continue to increase every year that goes by without an NBA championship ring on his finger.

Spending time practicing for and competing in the dunk competition is just a waste of energy that quite frankly, very few players have in this lockout shortened yet intensified season.

That's precious energy wasted and precious time spent that could be used to rest. This is not even factoring in a potential injury, which would be devastating.

At least on paper it would seem like the risk wouldn't be worth the reward for James, and according to quotes recorded by Ethan J. Skolnick, of The Palm Beach Post, James has played it safe in the past:

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“I have thought about it before and a few times in the past I kind of had an ankle injury that kind of kept me out of it and a couple of times I was just like, ‘You know what, I’m going to go in here and rest my legs for this weekend and then get back to the regular season,” James said. “But, I mean, they say a lot of the greats have done it and I’ve watched it over the years.”

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LeBron needs to stop thinking about himself and finally give fans of the NBA a reason to cheer for him again.

He's a tremendous player, there's no doubt about it, and he has all the intangibles to go down as an all-time great. There should be no reason to dislike a player that's as good as he is, except when he is beating your team.

LeBron has given us far too many reasons though.

Whether it's the way he handled the city of Cleveland with his infamous hour long "The Decision" free agency special or his selfish attitude and what looks like a desire to play the bad guy—there are plenty of reasons to hate LeBron James.

Perhaps he doesn't care, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. If there is a part of him that wants to be the good guy in the NBA, though, going out and putting on a show for the fans—knowing all he has to lose—would be a great way to start that process.

He would be providing entertainment, fun, and undoubtedly some very spectacular and perhaps historic dunks.

It would be a small gesture, but it would be a way to give back to the NBA and whatever faithful fan base it has left.

For once, maybe LeBron could prove to the fans that he's not above them. I know that he does charity work and is active in the community, but I'm looking at this from a basketball standpoint.

For once, maybe King James can step down from his throne and show us that it's not all about him.