Skip Bayless Says He'd Pay $2,000 for LeBron James to Partake in Dunk Contest

LeBron James has been tantalizing spectators recently with his spectacular pregame dunk routines. Naturally, that has left fans clamoring for the Miami Heat superstar to take his talents to the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest.

Some high-profile figures around the league—such as former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson—have already offered up a mountain of cash for James to compete in All-Star Weekend’s dunking showcase.

As if Johnson’s million-dollar proposal wasn’t intriguing enough, ESPN’s Skip Bayless said he would pony up another $2,000 for LBJ to just participate in the contest.

The pundit made this proposition on ESPN’s First Take on Monday morning, March 4.

While just about every hoops junkie would love to see the 10-year veteran compete in his first dunk challenge, we’re not so sure that Bayless’ offer will be enough to sway his decision.

Considering James is earning a whopping $17.5 million for the 2012-13 campaign alone, plus countless amounts of other income from numerous sponsors, it’s hard to fathom how Bayless’ extra two grand would be a motivating factor to enter the dunk contest. 

However, the three-time league MVP hasn’t completely rejected the idea of partaking. He told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he “doesn’t have a response yet”—in regards to Magic Johnson’s offer—but does “think about it every year.”

We imagine that if the 28-year-old James does eventually accept the challenge of joining the dunk contest field, he would be the sure favorite to win.

At 6’8”, 250 pounds, King James has the prototypical size, incredible athleticism and innate creativity to come away with the title in his first attempt alone.

Some of his warmup slams would have been more than impressive enough to earn unanimous 10s from the judges and fans in the contest.

Should James finally decide to show off these aerial skills in the dunk contest, we imagine it will be his love of the game—not Bayless’ $2,000 offer—that gets him to enter.