ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith rants over why LeBron James is directly responsible for Slam Dunk demise

Just a year ago, the press was talking about how Mac McClung saved the Slam Dunk Contest, which for years has become a rather boring segment of the All-Star Weekend. This past weekend, the media is already making drastic statements again, assuring that the competition is back to being a disgraceful part of the show. 

This year, the contest proved again that it lacks star power, despite the participation of Jaylen Brown who ranked second. However, Stephen A. Smith believes that there is only one athlete responsible for the Slam Dunk’s demise, and it is LeBron James.

According to the ESPN analyst, the Lakers superstar’s refusal to participate in previous events during his prime has contributed to many other great players rejecting the opportunity. “LeBron James is directly responsible for ruining the slam dunk contest… The slam dunk contest, from 1985 to 1997, five of the 13 contests were won by future Hall of Famers…,” he assured.

Stephen A Smith: “LeBron James ruined the dunk contest”

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“Every high-jumper, skywalker, and above-the-rim talent, salivated for the opportunity to participate in the dunk contest. It stopped when LeBron said I’m not doing it… There is no one who knows basketball that would refute what I am saying. LeBron James refusing to participate was the beginning and the spark plug of its demise. Period! There is no one who can dispute that,” Smith added.

There’s no doubt that the four-time champion has been one of the NBA’s best dunkers in the past two decades, and fans have implored him to take the Dunk Contest stage. LeBron once committed to the contest but then refused to participate, which has only increased the frustration.

According to the insider, the entire All-Star Weekend should be cancelled altogether, as the competition’s quality has dropped drastically in recent years. Stephen took the mic on Monday’s episode of First Take to voice out his thoughts.

“What transpired last night was an absolute travesty,” Smith expressed. “Nearly 400 points were scored. No defense, no effort whatsoever. This is the ultimate indictment against NBA stars who show up on NBA All-Star weekend—you play harder in the summer when you’re training.”

LeBron has previously explained why he never participated in the Dunk Contest despite fans’ requests

The purple and gold star has addressed this issue many times in the past, as he’s been heavily criticized for not prioritizing a special All-Star tradition that many Hall of Famers participated throughout the contest’s history.

“I don’t think it was something I wanted to accomplish in my career; it’s not a goal of mine, and it never was coming into the NBA to be a part of the Dunk Contest, you know? Making the NBA All-Star Team was, being the league MVP, winning Defensive Player of the Year, and winning NBA Championships…? Those were some goals of mine. The NBA Dunk Contest was never a goal of mine so, it wasn’t something that I had too much passion for,” he shared years ago.

Vince Carter, one of the greatest dunkers of all time, once gave insight on how the NBA would look for ways to incentivize the league’s stars to participate in the competition. The league reportedly even offered $1 million to athletes to compete.

“I know for a fact, some years back, the NBA tried this tactic as far as upping the ante a little bit, a million dollars. They threw around some names, I remember it was LeBron, Kobe, T-Mac—my name was thrown in there of course, and it was a few other people for $1 million. But you obviously couldn’t get the commitment of everyone to do it,” shared the Raptors icon.