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Good dunk contests are built on big stars, electric environments and great dunks. This dunk contest doesn’t carry that type of potential. Webb got so much adulation in 1986 by out-dunking Hawks teammate/defending dunk-contest champion/future Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins. Even if a less-heralded player wins, stars attract attention and establish a baseline. Webb made a name for himself by winning the 1986 dunk contest.īut there’s something to watching recognizable names. Stanley, Toppin or Simons could emerge into the basketball zeitgeist with a thrilling performance Sunday. Stanley’s athleticism shined at Duke, Toppin’s at Dayton. Sometimes, great dunkers lack other skills necessary to succeed in NBA games. This doesn’t mean it will be a bad dunk contest. Jamario Moon in 2008 dunk contest (undrafted)ĭerrick Jones Jr. 87 pick)ĭarvin Ham in 1997 dunk contest (undrafted) Only four lower-drafted rookies have ever participated in an All-Star contest: He’s hardly the first unproven rookie in the dunk contest.
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Stanley especially stands out for his lack of pedigree. Surely, the league would have preferred any number of bigger stars to Toppin, Simons and Stanley. Pelicans star Zion Williamson, Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Hornets forward Miles Bridges and Lakers guard Alex Caruso reportedly declined dunk-contest invitations. There have been four the last several years. The NBA has never had so few entrants (three) in a dunk contest. The coronavirus pandemic obviously created an additional obstacle this year. Every 3-point contest, skills challenge and HORSE competition has included at least one All-Star. That’s the only event players (besides those in Rising Stars) are allowed to decline an invite to, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Unsurprisingly, all the All-Star contests with the lowest minute-per-game averages among participants were dunk contests.