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The 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest will take place at the United Center in Illinois on February 15, 2020. Aside from the All-Star Game, the Dunk Contest is widely viewed as the most exciting event of the weekend, and in the past, the competition has been graced by some of the best players in NBA history such as Michael Jordan and Vince Carter.
The 2019 contest saw Hamidou Diallo, Dennis Smith Jr., Miles Bridges, and John Collins go head to head for the title, with the OKC Thunder's Diallo eventually winning. His endeavors included a stunning dunk over the body of Shaquille O'Neal, and while Diallo is likely to return again, the field will once again open up for other players to come in and compete.
So, as we eagerly await the 2020 Dunk Contest, here are three NBA superstars that we would love to see compete.
#3 LeBron James
At this point in his career, LeBron James is unlikely to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Nevertheless, despite now being 34, James remains one of the most innovative and explosive dunkers in the NBA, which is evidently a winning formula in the annual contest.
Despite the ongoing appeals of fans around the NBA, LeBron has never competed in the Dunk Contest, although he has often expressed his regret at never competing in the showcase event.
It is an extremely long-shot that James will now choose to compete in a dunk contest, although fans still have some hope that he could attempt to emulate Michael Jordan -- who won back-to-back dunk contests in 1987 and in 1988.
#2 Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon has already competed in two Slam Dunk Contests, and some of the Orlando Magic star's dunks from 2016 are widely regarded as the best in All-Star Weekend history.
Despite losing in a second tie-breaker to Zach LaVine, Gordon managed to record three 50-point dunks, including a striking effort in which he put the ball underneath his legs before slamming home over a spinning Orlando Magic mascot.
Gordon competed again a year later, although injuries resulted in a disappointing showing, in which the Orlando man was knocked out after the first round. He once again pulled out of the 2018 competition through injury, and while he opted against competing this year, the 23-year-old has already expressed his desire to compete in 2020.
At this point, Gordon is perhaps the best dunker in history not to win the award, so another appearance in 2020 will offer a fantastic subplot.
#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Before establishing himself as one of the NBA's biggest stars, a little known Giannis Antetokounmpo participated in the 2015 dunk contest. During a poor showing, the then 20-year-old exited the competition in the first round after placing last with a total score of just 65.
Nevertheless, Antetokounmpo has since developed into one of the best dunkers in the NBA, and his dunking ability was on full show during the 2019 All-Star Game. During the showcase game, the team captain threw down a bounced alley-oop dunk from Steph Curry's pass, an effort which was quickly labeled as the best in All-Star history.
While the Greek Freak is yet to confirm whether he will attempt the dunk contest for a second time, he did ask his fans earlier this year if he should enter the 2020 contest. If he was to compete, Giannis would undoubtedly become the biggest name to enter the competition for more than a decade, and his participation would set up an incredibly exciting event.
