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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently slandered the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during All-Star weekend in Cleveland. He suggested a new format for the competition wherein non-NBA players can participate and entertain the audience.
Once considered the highlight of the All-Star Weekend activities, the Slam Dunk contest is now becoming somewhat mediocre. Back in the day, the participants were All-Stars themselves such as Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, etc., but now less familiar names are featured in the competition.
The 2022 Slam Dunk Contest was underwhelming, to say the least, and ESPN NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has labeled it as one of the worst in NBA history while appearing on the sports debate show "First Take."
"I want to apologise. I called it a national atrocity. I was wrong, it was a global atrocity. It was the worst Slam Dunk Contest I have ever seen in the history of basketball, at any level."
This year's Slam Dunk contest featured more missed dunks than converted ones. Anytime the spectators gasped during an attempt, they were disappointed. The likes of Jalen Green and Cole Anthony were quite amateurish. The participants went 7-25 (28%) in the first round and there were no 50-point dunks in the entire contest.
Stephen A. Smith proposed a nationwide tournament to gather the top 5 or 10 best dunkers who can mesmerize the audience with their thunderous throwdowns. He continued on First Take by proposing "a national slam dunk tournament nationwide."
"I am proposing on national television, a national slam dunk tournament nationwide! You see brothers in the park, in the streets, that can dunk and put on an absolute show and let them get sponsored by their favorite All-Star but we gotta get cats who can put on a show in the dunk contest"
Stephen A. Smith suggested that non-NBA participants could get sponsored by their favorite All-Star and that the league could incentivize the competition with money prizes.
He believes a gigantic tournament should be held throughout the country leading up to the All-Star weekend and the top 10 dunkers can be invited to the coveted exhibition event.
Stephen A. Smith calls Steph Curry the face of the NBA
Stephen A. Smith considers Steph Curry the face of the NBA. The long-range sniper is now the biggest show in sports and fans are showing up to arenas before games to watch him warm-up pre-game. He put on a show in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, dropping 50 points and 16 three-pointers in a scintillating performance.
He is just the second player in NBA history to score 50 points in an the All-Star Game. Additionally, the baby-faced assassin oblilterated the previous All-Star game record for most threes in a game (9) by a whopping seven treys.
Steph Curry's performance was so other-worldly that the other MVP-caliber players on the floor were overshadowed. He sank 16 threes himself and all the other starters combined for 14 threes. Moreover, he went 7-14 (50%) from beyond 30-feet and all other players went 4-15 (27%) from that distance, with no player making more than one such triple.
Stephen A. Smith believes Steph Curry is the new face of the NBA and not LeBron James. The three-point revolution is the result of Curry's greatness and he is the reason why little kids in the park are jacking up threes. When asked about the face of the league, Stephen A. Smith appeared on First Take and said he believes it's Stephen Curry.
"I believe it's Steph Curry, by default almost, he is winning and LeBron is not. That's really what this comes down to for me. If you want to modify it to a certain degree, LeBron James is the face of the league for what he does off the court. To me, I am speaking specifically of on the court. Steph Curry is just as box-office."
Poll : Was this the worst Slam Dunk Contest in NBA history?
Yes
No
80 votes
