標籤: abandon

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has always been a major part of All-Star Weekend. It’s an event we always looked forward to seeing as kids, and it’s arguably the most searched-for NBA content on YouTube, as fans always want to relive amazing moments from Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Zach LaVine, and Aaron Gordon, among many others. It wasn’t that long ago that this competition meant anything.

Nowadays, the dunk contest is seen as something that makes us all ask, “Do we need to do this?”

At this point the event seems forced upon us, especially when it has overstayed its welcome and simply lost its touch.

If the tremendous dunk contests of the past several years were any indication of where this All-Star event has come to an end, Saturday night (technically afternoon) in Inglewood was the icing on top of the cake.

What was memorable about this incident, other than Jess Richardson almost being seriously injured when he fell hard on the court after attempting a dunk off the edge of the backboard? Honestly, can anyone remember what has happened at this event during All-Star Weekend the past few years, other than Mac McClung, who is the only player who has played a total of 10 NBA games in his career?

Frankly, getting the league to try to get players to participate in this event has been almost like pulling teeth over the years. This is especially true because star players aren’t as sought after as they were with the 3-point contest or the All-Star Game.

Lack of stars ruined the event

It wasn’t long ago that stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell and others were competing in the dunk contest during All-Star Weekend. Although they were small at the time and the event has always catered to young players looking to make a name for themselves, it has suddenly become something that no one wants to participate in.

Jaylen Brown has been the only All-Star talent to participate in the event over the past several years. We see players and stars all the time talking about how the dunk contest should be changed, fixed, and saved, yet none of them are willing to step up and be the solution.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the problem here. The reason past dunk contests with Carter, Jordan, LaVine and Gordon have always been talked about is that they not only cared about putting on a show, but they were also willing to be the face of the event.

Nobody wants to do that these days except a G League player, which is why the talent in the dunk contest has been extremely low over the past few seasons.

This should in no way be taken as a disrespect to this year’s participants: Keshad Johnson, Carter Bryant, Jace Richardson and Jackson Hayes. These people did what they could, and should really be commended for making this program happen when so many others turned down the opportunity to participate.

Also, what have any of these players actually done that made people flock to this event and think it would be any different from the disappointments of almost every dunk contest over the years? Bryant and Richardson are rookies who have barely played, Hayes has been a backup big man for most of his career, and Johnson has played a total of 257 minutes in his career.

Unless they’re a fan of one of these four players’ teams or are a basketball buff like yours truly, the average NBA fan doesn’t know anything about this year’s participants. This is a big problem, and this issue has existed for years in relation to the Dunk Contest.

Needless to mention, Hayes criticized the dunk contest after the event on Saturday night, claiming he would rather be in Hawaii than Los Angeles for All-Star Weekend festivities. When a lesser-known player is saying this, there is a serious problem with spectacle.

After all, it’s not like this year’s event was all that memorable, as it was filled with a lot of dancing and a few dunks, most of which any player in the NBA could have done. There was nothing unique about this event, and it has almost turned into an event that fans are only attending and cheering for because they don’t want to let go of the past.

Keshad Johnson went under the backboard for this dunk.

pic.twitter.com/EHjdA3ADi5

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 15 February 2026

Even the young, rising stars, who can easily win the event and get a lot of endorsement deals and set the standards for the next generation, do not want to participate in the event. Prominent rookies and second-year players, who should see such an opportunity as an honor, are ignoring the event because it is not like it used to be.

VJ Edgecombe has had an All-Rookie and Rookie of the Year campaign this year with the Philadelphia 76ers, and fans would love to see him take a lead role in the dunk contest. But the Sixers rookie had other ideas and made it clear he would not be accepting an invitation to the event, giving no specific reason other than “I’m not doing that” and that he’s “cool.”

Perhaps the dunk contest has run its course, especially when every year it’s the same story of a disappointing event and star players pleading to save it. That’s exactly what happened in 2025, prompting Ja Morant and others to hint that this year’s event in Inglewood will be one to remember for years.

Ja Morant, Zach LaVine and even Giannis claimed on social media that they could save the event after McClung won for the third consecutive year. It takes that kind of energy to save the Dunk Contest, yet neither star participated in the event last weekend.

NBA All-Star Saturday has lost its touch as the dunk contest continues to dominate the headlines. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean All-Star Weekend as a whole needs a revamp.

All-Star Saturday still works… kind of

Fans and NBA media members alike have been very critical of All-Star Weekend over the years. More specifically, All-Star Saturday Night has become a major discussion topic, with some questioning whether it is even necessary anymore.

Just because the Dunk Contest has been disappointing and needs a change, doesn’t mean that every single fun event that basketball fans around the world enjoy watching should be abandoned.

The NBA 3-Point Contest is still a great spectacle, and one of the main reasons is that big names and elite 3-point shooting threats are willing to participate. Each of the past six winners of the event has been an All-Star talent, and Damian Lillard has now won the event in three of the last four seasons.

Less than 24 hours after the contest ended Saturday in Inglewood, Stephen Curry and Lillard made it clear they will be back in contention next season when the Phoenix Suns host All-Star Weekend.

For anyone who had any doubts about how serious Curry and Lillard are, these two are already teaming up to recruit Devin Booker, who said he would participate, and Klay Thompson, who Steph told Lillard via message that he would get them to sign.

With Lillard, Curry, Booker and Thompson, the 2027 3-Point Contest already has the best field in the event’s history, as all four stars have won the 3-point crown before. So, if the big names can come together to do this for one of the All-Star Saturday events, why can’t they do the same for the others?

This year’s All-Star Saturday Night, which took place at noon, started with a fun and thrilling 3-point contest that came down to Lillard, Booker and rookie sensation Kon Knueppel. Overall, it was a great event that no one had any problems with, especially considering that Lillard has been out the entire season recovering from an Achilles injury and he not only participated, but won the event.

The next order of business was Kia Shooting Stars, which replaced the Skills Challenge. Although it was not as entertaining as previous events, Shooting Stars brought a level of excitement with the addition of past greats such as Alan Houston and Ron Harper. Whenever the NBA can add former players and Hall of Fame talent, they should always take advantage of the opportunity.

But after these first two events, the Dunk Contest, which is always the headliner of All-Star Saturday Night, was a complete waste of time. The attendees hardly made any noise, and there was virtually no over-the-top reaction from current and former players present to watch the competition.

The dunk contest has lost its touch. Unless some of the league’s best dunkers and stars are willing to save the event, it’s time to join the skills challenge. In doing so, the NBA could create a new event that both fans and players have been demanding:

A 1-on-1 tournament.

Time for a new 1 vs 1 event?

One thing the NBA does really well is involving the players and letting their input help make decisions to better the league. Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA office have worked long and hard with the players union over the past few seasons to improve the All-Star Game, and we can certainly see improvements in terms of competitiveness on the court.

Both the NBA and the players deserve a lot of credit for making All-Star Weekend better than ever.

However, there’s still room for growth, and it all goes back to All-Star Saturday Night, with the Dunk Contest coming off as an event that overstayed its welcome. Down the road, it might make sense to bring back the dunk contest, but for now, it’s time to put this event next to the Skills Challenge.

As for what will replace the Dunk Contest and become the main event of All-Star Weekend, the NBA should look no further than the success women’s basketball has had with its unmatched 1-on-1 tournament. WNBA players have taken the event as seriously as their season over the years, and the event has generated a lot of interest among NBA talent.

At the 2025 All-Star Game, Kevin Durant spoke highly of the idea of ​​a 1-on-1 tournament and claimed that the league is full of amazing talent that could make the event stand out.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy to predict who will come out on top,” Durant said on NBA TV. “I think there are a lot of guys that can come out here and put on a show in 1-on-1, so it will be a great addition to All-Star Weekend. We’ll see what happens.”

Durant talked about the idea of ​​a 1-on-1 tournament with Draymond Green and claimed he would play if the NBA added the event to All-Star Weekend.

This year, it was Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown who was the leading voice for a 1-on-1 tournament to be added to the All-Star calendar, as he fully supported the idea of ​​moving the event to All-Star Weekend.

“I’m really a big fan of one-on-one,” Brown said at All-Star media day. “There are some guys here this weekend that I would love to challenge. All of them. Luka (Doncic), Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), (Jalen) Brunson, Donovan (Mitchell). I would challenge all of those guys one by one. We can donate to any charity. Let’s set it up.”

With Durant and Brown publicly advocating for a 1-on-1 tournament over the past two All-Star Weekends, and many other stars likely feeling the same way, could we possibly see it debut in 2027? Maybe we could even see a 1-on-1 All-Star tournament replace the dunk contest for a while.

The NBA has some decisions to make regarding All-Star Weekend, and no decision is bigger than what happens with Saturday night’s activities, specifically the Dunk Contest. Unless they get stars and notable talent to participate, the event will continue to be disrespected and despised by players and fans alike.