Why it’s time for the NBA to ditch the slam dunk contest after its latest All-Star weekend debacle
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has always been a staple of All-Star Weekend. It’s the one event we’ve always looked forward to watching as kids, and it’s probably the most requested NBA content on YouTube, as fans always want to relive it. moments that make you swing from Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon, among many others. It wasn’t that long ago that this competition meant something.
Today, the dunk contest is seen as something that makes us all wonder, “Should we do this?”
This event seems forced on us at this point, especially since it overstayed its welcome and just lost its touch.
If the last few years of swinging slam dunk contests were any indication that this All-Star event has come to an end, then Saturday night (technically afternoon) in Inglewood was the icing on the cake.
What is left to remember from this event, except Jace Richardson almost got seriously injured when he fell hard on the court after attempting a dunk from the side of the backboard? Honestly, can anyone remember anything that happened at this All-Star Weekend event over the years, other than Mac McClung, who played a total of 10 NBA games in his career, because he’s the only player who seemed to care?
To be honest, the league’s attempt to get players to participate in this event has been almost like pulling teeth over the years. This is especially true because the star players aren’t behind the team like they are with the 3-point contest or the All-Star Game itself.
The lack of stars killed the event
It wasn’t that long ago that stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell and others were participating in the dunk contest during All-Star Weekend. Even though they were younger at the time and this event has always catered to younger players looking to make a name for themselves, it suddenly became something that no one wanted to participate in.
Jaylen Brown was the only All-Star talent to participate in the event in recent years. We see players and stars keep saying how the dunk contest needs to be changed, fixed and saved, but none of them have been willing to step up and be the solution.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the problem here. The reason the former dunks with Carter, Jordan, LaVine and Gordon will always be discussed is because they cared not only to put on a show, but were willing to be the face of the event.
Nobody wants that nowadays, except for the G League players, which is why the talent in the slam dunk contest has been extremely lacking over the last few seasons.
This should in no way be disrespectful to this year’s participants: Keshad Johnson, Carter Bryant, Jace Richardson and Jackson Hayes. These guys did what they could, and they should be applauded for actually doing this event when so many others turned down the opportunity to participate.
At the same time, what did any of these players do to make people really buy into this event and think it would be different than the disappointment of almost every slam dunk contest over the last few 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 career minutes.
Unless they are a fan of one of these four player teams or a basketball geek like yourself, the general NBA fan knows nothing about this year’s participants. That’s a big problem, and this issue has been around for years in the dunk contest.
not to mention Hayes won the dunk contest after Saturday night’s event, claiming he’d rather be in Hawaii than Los Angeles for the All-Star weekend festivities. When a lesser-known player says that, there’s a serious problem with spectacle.
After all, it’s not like this year’s event was all that memorable, as it was filled with plenty of dancing and a few dunks, most of which could have been done by any player in the NBA. There was nothing unique about the event, and it almost turned into an event that fans follow and cheer for simply because they don’t want to let go of the past.
Keshad Johnson went UNDER THE BOARD for this dunk 😤
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 15, 2026
Even young rising stars who could easily land many contracts from winning the event and set the standard for the next generation do not want to participate in the event. Notable rookies and sophomores who should see such an opportunity as an honor pass on the event because it’s not what it used to be.
VJ Edgecombe put together an All-Rookie and Rookie of the Year campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers this year, and fans would love to see him dominate the slam dunk contest. But the Sixers rookie had other ideas and made it clear that he would not accept the invitation to the event, giving no particular reason other than “I don’t do that” and that it was “good”.
Maybe the dunk contest has run its course, especially since every year it’s the same story of an underwhelming event with star players begging to be saved. That’s exactly what happened in 2025, prompting Ja Morant and others to suggest that this year’s event in Inglewood could be one to remember for years to come.
Ja Morant, Zach LaVine and even Giannis took to social media to claim they could save the event after McClung won for the third year in a row. This is the kind of energy the dunk contest needs to survive, but no stars participated in the event last weekend.
NBA All-Star Saturday has lost its touch as the dunk contest is the main main event. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean All-Star Weekend as a whole needs to be rebuilt.
All-Star Saturday still works… sort of
Fans and members of the NBA media have been highly critical of All-Star Weekend in recent years. More specifically, All-Star Saturday Night has become a key talking point, with some questioning whether it’s even necessary anymore.
Just because the dunk contest has been overwhelming and needs to change doesn’t mean that every entertaining event that basketball fans around the world enjoy watching should be dismissed.
The NBA 3-point contest continues to be a huge spectacle, and one of the main reasons for that is that big names and elite 3-point shooting threats are willing to participate. Each of the last six tournament winners has been an All-Star talent, and Damian Lillard has now won the tournament in three of the last four seasons.
Not even 24 hours after the competition ended on Saturday in Inglewood, Stephen Curry and Lillard have made it clear they will be back in next season’s competition when the Phoenix Suns host All-Star Weekend.
For anyone doubting how serious Curry and Lillard are, the two are already teaming up to recruit Devin Booker, who has said he will participate, and Klay Thompson, who Steph told Lillard via message that they will force him to sign up.
With Lillard, Curry, Booker and Thompson, the 2027 3-point contest already has the best field in the history of the event, as all four stars have previously won the 3-point crown. So if the big names can come together to do this for one of All-Star Saturday’s events, why can’t they do it for the others?
This year’s All-Star Saturday night, which took place in the afternoon, began with a fun and exciting 3-point contest that came down to Lillard, Booker and rookie sensation Kon Knuepel. Overall, this was a great event that no one had any issues with, especially considering Lillard has been out the entire season recovering from a torn Achilles and not only participated, but won the tournament.
The next order of business was the Kia Shooting Stars, which replaced the Skills Challenge. Although not as fun as the event before it, Shooting Stars brought a certain level of excitement to it with the participation of past legends like Alan Houston and Ron Harper. Any time the NBA can bring in former players and Hall of Fame talent, they should always jump at the chance.
But after those first two events, the dunk contest, which is always the mainstay of All-Star Saturday night, was a complete waste of time. The audience made almost no noise, and there was virtually no overreaction from current and former players who attended to watch the competition unfold.
The dunk contest has simply lost its touch. Unless some of the league’s best dunkers and stars are willing to save the event, it’s time for this one to join the Skills Challenge. That way, the NBA can introduce the new event that fans and players have been asking for:
1 on 1 tournament.
Time for a new 1v1 event?
One thing the NBA does really well is involve the players and allow their input to help make decisions for the betterment of the league. Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA front office have worked extensively with the players’ union over the past few seasons to try to make the All-Star Game better, 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 it was.
There’s still room for growth, though, and it all comes back to All-Star Saturday night, with the dunk contest standing out as an event that seems to have outstayed its welcome. Down the line, it might make sense to bring back the dunk contest, but as of now, it’s time to put this event on the bench next to the Skills Challenge.
As for what would replace the dunk contest as the highlight of All-Star weekend, the NBA should look no further than the success women’s basketball has seen in the unparalleled 1-on-1 tournament. VNBA players have taken this event as seriously as they have taken their season for the past few years, and the event has gained a lot of interest among NBA talent.
At the 2025 All-Star Game, Kevin Durant praised the idea of a 1-on-1 tournament, claiming the league is full of incredible talent who can to highlight this event.
“I don’t think it would be easy to predict who will be on top,” Durant said on NBA television. “I feel like there’s a lot of guys that can come in here and put on a 1-on-1 show, so that would be a great addition to All-Star weekend. We’ll see what happens.”
Durant went on to talk about the idea of a 1-on-1 tournament with Draymond Green, claiming that he would play if the NBA added this event to All-Star Weekend.
This year it was the star of the Boston Celtics Jalen Brown who was the leading voice in the 1v1 tournament was added to the All-Star calendar, as he fully supported the idea of this event taking over All-Star weekend.
“I’m actually a big fan of the one-on-one game,” Brown said at All-Star Media Day. “There are some people that are here this weekend that I would like to challenge. All of them. Luka (Doncic), Shai (Giljus-Alexander), (Jalen) Branson, Donovan (Mitchell). I would challenge all of those guys one-on-one. We could donate to any charity. Let’s set it up.”
With Durant and Brown publicly pushing for the 1-on-1 tournament over the past two All-Star weekends and several other stars likely feeling the same way, could we see this addition starting in 2027. We may even see the 1-on-1 All-Star tournament replace the dunk contest for the time being.
The NBA has some decisions to make on All-Star weekend, none bigger than what will happen with Saturday night’s activities, especially the dunk contest. Unless they can get the stars and top talent to gather participation, this event will continue to be frowned upon and looked down upon by players and fans alike.
2026-02-16 18:14:00
