Why is the NBA dunk contest such a disappointing airball now?

I am pro-NBA dunk contest. Even in 2025. I understand the criticism of it. I understand that we want stars to be in it. I understand that, at times, it feels like the best dunks have been done and we’re now just in terrible reboots, like when they tried to remake “Point Break.” I’m with you when you are upset that the dunk contest doesn’t have the same gravitas and energy it once did. You’re not necessarily wrong in those assessments, even if I’d push back on some of it. I still very much believe in the dunk contest. I believe in the dunk contest so much that I think it’s ludicrous to claim the 3-point contest is a far better event. We can’t pretend the dunk contest has regressed to Skills Challenge status. That’s hyperbole that is so ridiculous it makes me want to set myself on fire. With all that said, I joined the masses as reports leaked out of the four participants who accepted invitations to be in this year’s dunk contest. We don’t have anything official from the league just yet, but these are the reported dunk contest participants in San Francisco on Feb. 16: Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs: Rookie | fourth pick in the 2024 draft | tied for 75th in dunks with 28 Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls: Rookie | 11th pick in the ’24 draft | tied for 86th in dunks with 25 Andre Jackson Jr, Milwaukee Bucks: Second-year player | 36th pick in 2023 draft | tied for 145th in dunks with 14 Mac McClung, Osceola Magic: Played in five NBA games in four years | undrafted | two-time dunk champ | tied for 389th in dunks with zero. Yes, this is the real field. No, this isn’t a prank. And yes, it is absolutely terrible that, in the era of social media and trying to appeal to/chase young fans who are allegedly obsessed with highlights but not the NBA game itself, this is the best the NBA could do. The NBA dunk contest requires certain things. It needs personality, flare, anticipation and athleticism. You know what else it should have? Some dunkers whom NBA fans care about. I am a big fan of Castle and Jackson as NBA players. I think they can contribute to good teams now. Buzelis is more of a project, but there are plenty of smart people around the league who are excited about his future. And you should typically listen to the smart people around the league. McClung is not an NBA player. He’s a G League player, which … is fine? There’s no shame in that, but the reason he’s being trotted out again is because they can’t get the meaningful, exciting dunkers to do this contest. McClung has a chance to earn some real money by winning this thing. We know those G League deals aren’t great income in comparison to other professional basketball players, and I’m always in favor of people cashing out when they can. But this McClung angle is already a big groan for so many of us. In next week’s Super Bowl, we’re going to see Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs attempt to three-peat (Pat Riley, don’t sue me) for the first time in the Super Bowl era. It’s legitimately gripping sports television because it’s the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles are really good, Saquon Barkley is such a thrilling player and history is on the line. You know what’s not gripping? (And I mean this with no offense.) McClung three-peating for the first time in NBA dunk contest history. Nate Robinson won the contest three times (2006, 2009, 2010), but it wasn’t three in a row. Not to mention, I’m not sure he should have won any of them. Robinson won because he’s short, not from doing the best dunks. Andre Iguodala definitely got robbed of the victory in 2006. The others are debatable. But also, nobody really wanted Robinson to secure those last two. It was met with more groans than cheers from NBA fans. McClung will receive some groans too if this one looks like the last two. McClung legitimately won it two years ago, squeaking a win over Trey Murphy III. But it was a valid victory. He was fun and good. Last year? It was just kind of boring. And I’ll reiterate this is coming from someone who loves the dunk contest and often defends it far too much. McClung does a lot of the same dunks, pushing off a taller person as he takes the ball out of their hands and then tries to do something cool in the space between the prop person and the rim itself. Sometimes, it works. Other times, it doesn’t. But it’s sadly gotten old. I don’t doubt that it’s an incredibly difficult dunk to do, but it doesn’t sell well on TV or in the arena anymore. And that’s part of the dunk contest. Dunks can be simple, as long as you have high-flyers, energy and absurd athleticism compared to the freak athletes of the NBA. Out of everyone in this quartet, maybe Jackson has that, but probably not. I don’t blame the guys who accepted the invitation either. If you want to be in the dunk contest, I think you should go for it. I just think the names called before yours should accept, and the league should do everything it can to make sure it doesn’t get a crop of dunkers like this. The two parties to blame for this are the star players in the league and the NBA itself. Let’s preface criticism of the players with the qualifiers that I’m very pro-player, very pro-labor, very pro-union and pro-empowerment with the overall health of the league. I believe in players controlling as much of their destiny as they can because there is so little that is controllable beyond that. With all those qualifiers, I think the stars of today not wanting to do the dunk contest and declining to participate is cowardly. There is absolutely no reason we shouldn’t have four stars in this thing. • Zion Williamson says he’s healthy enough to play in back-to-backs, but the Pelicans won’t let him. He should be in the dunk contest then. • Ja Morant is one of the most electrifying players in the world with absurd athleticism even compared to the elite of the elite leapers. He should also be in it. • Anthony Edwards is one of the rising faces of the league and could truly put on a show by hyping the crowd, leaping high and bringing the power on his dunks. He should be in it. Stars being afraid of their legacy or their Q rating or whatever would come with losing or having a poor contest performance is weak. And the fact that the league can’t entice them to do it might be even weaker. Harken back to Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady or any of performers of their caliber. The best dunkers used to pine for getting a chance to win. And while I understand the difference in eras and cultural norms, being afraid to lose a dunk contest is embarrassing. Maybe LeBron James lying to us about doing the contest that one year is what set the tone? I can’t call it. I just know, at some point, that competitive juice ran out when it comes to stuff like this. If it’s about the commitment to so much during the weekend and being tired, I get that. Would extra money help? Why can’t the NBA figure that part out? First place for the dunk contest gets $105,000. The runner-up takes home $55,000, and the third- and fourth-place finishers each get 20k. That’s a lot of money to us, but not enough to entice NBA stars. We have sponsors saturating the entire All-Star weekend, and the league office can’t convince one of them to put a big prize purse up every year? How? The winner of the 3-point contest gets $60,000, and the best shooters want to show off their skill. I bet we get Edwards in that before we ever get him in the dunk contest … if we ever get him in the dunk contest. That’s sad. And if you can’t entice these stars to do it, then you should be putting up money to get the best dunkers from the non-star group. Derrick Jones Jr. did it twice, won it once and hasn’t done it again. He’s doing stuff that would win dunk contests every night in warmups before games. Does the league watch Shaedon Sharpe? Why are you not strong-arming him into being in the contest? He could bring it back by himself the way Zach LaVine briefly did. What about Amen or Ausar Thompson? These twins can fly! Make them compete against each other! The NBA is supposed to be a solutions-based league. That’s what teams do on the basketball court. (Well, not the Washington Wizards, but most other teams do!) Why are the solutions from the league and its players just one big shrug emoji? They may think they look like Jordan when they shrug off the contest, but they look more like the security guard who beat him in that quarters game in “The Last Dance.” Hopefully, I’ll be wrong and this one will surprise us. I doubt it, but my fingers are still crossed. Until it’s solved, I’m curious what the league plans to do about this, because trotting out Mac McClung as the dunk contest mascot isn’t fair to him or the fans.