NBA All-Star Weekend is something players and fans alike look forward to every year: one weekend in late February in which the best basketball players in the world all meet up to showcase their abilities.
The 2022 All-Star Weekend was great. The league does a great job of making All-Star Weekend feel like a big deal, bringing out the stars from past and present as well as celebrities. The weekend is a special one that everyone wants to be a part of, a nice little break before the push for the playoffs begin.
One of the staples of All-Star Weekend is the Slam Dunk contest. The Slam Dunk Contest has given us iconic moments like Michael Jordan’s dunk from the free-throw line and everything Vince Carter did in 2000.
Unfortunately, the only part of All-Star Weekend 2022 that didn’t quite deliver was the Dunk Contest because the bar has been raised so high at this point that is hard for anyone to live up to expectations. Jalen Green, Obi Toppin, Cole Anthony, and Juan Toscano-Anderson put in a great effort this year. Anthony broke out his dad’s old Knicks jersey and dunked in a pair of timbs. JTA broke out a custom Warriors jersey highlighting his Mexican heritage. Green wore an NFT necklace, yup an NFT necklace. Despite making moments and social media buzz, the 2022 Slam Dunk Contest was very underwhelming. Toppin took the trophy home, but the conversation at the end of the night was questioning if this was the worst Dunk Contest in history.
While some of these young players may blossom into stars, the 2022 contest was missing star power. The conversation on social media during the contest was calling for some of the league’s young stars to participate in the next dunk contest. Names that were constantly brought up were Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards. I love the idea of Ja and ANT in the dunk contest. It would take us back to the days of young stars being in the contest, echoing the days of Jordan, Carter, and Kobe Bryant.
However, when asked if he would participate, Ja shot down the idea.
“Nothing. Just if I want to, I will. The answer might change, I don’t know. As of right now, nah,” said Morant.
While Morant’s answer isn’t what anyone wants to hear, we can still imagine what a dunk contest featuring Morant would look like.
The Ideal Dunk Contest
If the NBA let me pick the 2023 Dunk Contest participants, I would choose Morant, Edwards, Zion Williamson, and Cade Cunningham. All four of these guys are under 25 and have the potential to be four of the best players in the league for the next decade or more. The lineup would bring a buzz to the event that hasn’t been there in quite some time. We can also only imagine it would be an awesome event as all four guys throw down insane dunks in-game.
I have great memories of watching the dunk contest with iconic moments like Blake Griffin dunking over a car and the battles between Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon. A contest with Morant, Edwards, Williamson, and Cunningham could produce moments and memories like that for the new generation of hoopers in the NBA.
I don’t know what Adam Silver and the league would have to do to get these guys to participate, but it needs to happen.
Morant broke out dunks in the All-Star Game that would have put up near-perfect scores in any Dunk Contest.
If the NBA can bring the star power back to the Dunk Contest it would revitalize an event that some are calling dead. It would take us back to the days of Jordan, Carter, and Bryant bringing the house down with every dunk.
