Let’s be honest, the NBA Dunk Contest has been pretty sad over the last eight or nine years. Many years ago the event was once the highlight of the weekend, and now it’s the last thing that people want to see. In the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s the superstars competed in the dunk contest. Lately it has been filled with unnoticeable names and players who barely even contribute to the respective teams. I mean– who really wants to pay and see Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz showcase his dunking skills on All-Star Saturday? The likes of Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and Dr. J are all hall of fame players, but they enhanced their stardom by showing off their dunking skills in the NBA Dunk Contest. Over the past few years stars have refused to participate in the event (cough cough LeBron James), and the lack of stardom has had an obvious affect on the buzz of the dunk contest.
In this year’s dunk contest the NBA took it back to the old format and ditched the team format that failed miserably last year. Rookie Zach LaVine is known as a high-flyer and is a Youtube sensation for his dunking ability. LaVine will compete against Victor Oladipo, Mason Plumlee, and The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. All of the names mentioned are all great dunkers, but I am excited to see what LaVine has up his sleeve. Will LaVine’s arsenal of dunks be enough to save the NBA Dunk Contest? Or will we be having this same discussion about someone else attempting to save the Dunk Contest next season. I think LaVine can save it, but the NBA Dunk Contest lights are a lot brighter than just doing dunks for Youtube. If you haven’t seen LaVine fly, check out the videos below.
I’m excited to see LaVine dunk, I think the Greek Freak is going to do some real basic dunk, Vick and Plum might shock some folks doe…