The NBA All-Star Dunk Contest Has Become a Joke

Attention NBA commissioner David Stern:

Will you please do away with the annual NBA All-Star Dunk Contest?

What was once the main event of NBA All-Star weekend has now become a big joke. This past weekend in Orlando, the dunk contest hit an all-time low. Without Blake Griffin or LeBron James among the entrants, you probably sensed that this year's event would be watered down.

You were right.

A player who was added as a last minute replacement won the contest. Barely used Utah Jazz second-year player Jeremy Evans captured this year's title in undramatic fashion.

Not to take anything away from the Utah 6-foot-9-inch leaper, but Evans and the other three dunk contestants (Houston Rockets' Chase Budinger, Indiana Pacers' Paul George and Minnesota Timberwolves' Derrick Williams) left many fans at Orlando's Amway Center in utter disbelief. Since the dunk contest was first brought to center stage in 1984, this was by far the most dissatisfying.

The creativity was definitely lacking on all but one or two dunks. Evans' winner had him dunking two balls at once off a lob from teammate Gordon Hayward, who was seated. Evans leaped over Hayward—catching both balls at the same time—and slammed both at once. The dunk brought the crowd to its feet and the judges (online) rewarded Evans with a narrow victory over Budinger.

Evans won the contest, but was a last-second replacement for New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert. Shumpert was scratched at the last minute because of an injury. The sparingly-used Evans now joins the ranks of former dunk legends like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant and Spud Webb. Does anyone truly believe he belongs in that class?

At one time, the NBA Dunk Contest was the highlight of All-Star weekend. The contest was star-studded with guys like Jordan and Wilkins, but today's biggest superstars—James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant—will not compete. Griffin won the contest a year ago but declined to defend his championship.

Basketball fans have been clamoring for the past two seasons to see James and Griffin go head-to-head. Not since 1988, when Jordan defended his dunk title against Wilkins, would the league have had a more meaningful dunk contest. A Griffin-James showdown would eliminate the debate over who is the NBA's best dunker.

It is something that the casual fan and real basketball aficionado would want to see. However, both James and Griffin would have to put aside their inflated egos and do what's best for the league and the fans—compete in the dunk contest.

Television ratings would go through the roof, the fans would welcome it, and maybe, NBA All-Star weekend could get back to its roots—entertainment. In recent years, the dunk contest has lost its popularity due to the lack of star talent, no-name players, and a lack of true creativity.

The use of props by players has become stale. Several props were used this past weekend. Budinger recreated a blindfold dunk, first done by Cedric Ceballos in 1992. Williams leaped over a motorcycle. And Evans, wearing a Karl Malone jersey, jumped over actor/comedian Kevin Hart on his final attempt.

The props have become a staple in recent contests. Griffin won last year's title by jumping over the hood of a car. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard won the event in 2008 when he donned a Superman cape.

All in all, the props diminish real creativity and originality.

The NBA dunk contest has become too singular. It badly needs revision, and only Stern has the power to upgrade the event. Fans and pundits are losing interest and ratings keep declining. Poor ratings and lack of interest were two of the reasons why Stern pulled the plug on the contest in 1998 and 1999.

Fans would like to see the event continue, but unless there is a major transformation, the NBA Dunk Contest may be coming to an end. If improvements are not made, then the dunk contest needs to be abolished.