The NBA’s annual All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest came and went on Saturday night. New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin technically emerged victorious, but in the end it was difficult to shake the feeling that everyone participating lost.
In fact, there was so much negativity and ill-will surrounding the proceedings that one of the contest’s four participants, Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony, came out immediately after the fact and tweeted an apology.
Im never dunking again y’all sorry strictly layups now #mytimbsnotyours
— Cole Anthony (@The_ColeAnthony) February 20, 2022
That encapsulates what happened on Saturday night about as well as anything could.
Plus, the highlights largely speak for themselves:
Once upon a time the dunk contest was the crown jewel of the entire All-Star experience, but that has faded in recent years. Part of the reason why is because the NBA’s superstars have refrained from participating, largely leaving it to the league’s younger players.
On Saturday night, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant offered a six-word reply when a fan noted that he should have taken part.
Me after a basic one hand https://t.co/opMBMsMWaI pic.twitter.com/5zYuMFh3B2
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 20, 2022
Durant wasn’t the only one to weigh in, though. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal also offered his thoughts:
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The NBA is unquestionably the most interesting league in all of sports. Whereas the NFL captures the more TV eyeballs, hoops generally gets the most headlines – both good and bad. Because of that, the dunk contest will always have relevance.
But clearly this formula isn’t working.
The dunk contest has had one good showing since Vince Carter’s infamous performance, and unless Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon want to lace it up once more, that’s unlikely to change in the coming seasons.
Yikes. https://t.co/XdCtDFum5j
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 19, 2022
It’s time to either axe the competition to or change it dramatically.
How will the NBA ultimately respond to this year’s debacle? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
