NBA – Former star admits about LeBron: “I’m disappointed he never did that”

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

In 22 seasons on the NBA court, LeBron has accomplished countless feats. However, the King has always shied away from participating in dunk contests… Two-time dunk contest winner Jason Richardson recently addressed the topic.

LeBron has done practically everything in the NBA, having graced the league’s courts for over two decades. Oddly enough, despite having played in no fewer than 21 All-Star Games, the forward has never taken the opportunity to enter a dunk contest. With his timeless leap of speed and innate showmanship, the four-time champion would have had what it took to win one.

His detractors don’t hesitate to criticize him for this, with polemicist Stephen A. Smith outright stating that it’s his fault that the event has fallen into disuse these days. And while he doesn’t come off as vindictive toward the Hall of Famer, former two-time champion Jason Richardson also expressed sadness that he never saw LeBron attempt his best stunts in a competition, during a recent interview:

Jason Richardson laments LeBron’s absence from dunk contests

If you look back at the history of the Slam Dunk Contest, even when I was a kid, if you were a high flyer or if you were a superstar, you DID the Dunk Contest. (Michael Jordan) did it. Dr. J did it. Dominique Wilkins did it. Some of the greatest jumpers in the history of the NBA have done it, and you want a guy like LeBron to carry on that tradition of superstars doing the Dunk Contest because the Dunk Contest is what carried All-Star Weekend… until now.

It’s kind of disappointing that he never did one, but I can understand why he didn’t. But, as a fan of the Dunk Contest, watching it since you were a kid, you would want a guy like LeBron in the Dunk Contest.

Is there still a chance the King will participate in the SDC, perhaps for his last time as an All-Star? For J-Rich, it shouldn’t be on the agenda:

(Taking part) in the Dunk Contest? No! Because every time you leave the floor, it hurts your body and especially for a guy like LeBron — I think this is his 22nd year, and if you add up all the games in the playoffs, he probably played another 5-6 years of basketball, which is adding the playoff games he had in the postseason.

So, it’s kind of hard for him to have a guy like that go out there and compete in the Slam Dunk Contest, but it’s still amazing what he’s doing at 41, 42 years old, still playing in the NBA at a high level.

There’s reason for fans to be disappointed, but as the former dunker explains, that’s normal given LBJ is so close to the end.