Several hoops fans All-Star Weekend dreams recently came true after James White of the New York Knicks was invited to dunk in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest this weekend in Houston. White has a limited role on the Knickerbockers, but is notoriously famous for his dunking abilities.
Despite only being in the NBA for three seasons James White’s dunking talent is known to just about everyone on the universe. White’s flight school started off in the DMV area back in high school, and continued his dunking show at the University of Florida, and the University of Cincinnati. While in college White never lived up to his McDonald’s All-American billing, but was still a good player on the college level. White showed the versatility on the defensive end as well as playing multiple positions while at UC.
Since then White has played in the NBA (2007 NBA Champion with the Spurs) , NBDL, and several leagues overseas. Now things have come around full circle for White and he is now back in the NBA. It was a no brainer selection to have him in the dunk contest. Outside of the Blake Griffin show in 2011 the past few years or so the NBA Dunk Contest have been about as entertaining as a Nick Cannon movie. No disrespect to past contestants such as Jeremy Evans, Derrick Williams, and Serge Ibaka, but nobody wants or cares to see you all dunk. Dunking is about showmanship, finesse, power, and leaping ability. Some guys are game dunkers a la Lebron James and Rudy Gay that don’t belong in the contest, and some such as James White and Gerald Green are built for this stage.
This weekend will be an epic event and will be the best dunk contest since the Vince Carter, Steve Francis, and Tracy McGrady show in the year 2000. There is a lot of pressure on James White and the others to deliver so that the Dunk contest can remain a part of the All-Star Weekend festivities. After this weekend David Stern will be pleased that the “Best Dunker in the World” James White has finally showcased his dunking skills on the big stage.
