Tracy McGrady was part of one of the most memorable dunk contests in NBA history when his teammate and cousin Vince Carter won it in 2000, and the Hall of Famer wants to bring back some of that magic with more notable players competing in the event moving forward.
“We need to bring it back,” he said Tuesday.
“What’s up with all you young guys, man? It’s just dunking. You all do it every day. You don’t want to perform in front of 20,000 people? Celebrities in there? The energy in the building is crazy, and all the attention is on you. You’re afraid of that?”
There was a time when the Slam Dunk Contest was the highlight of All-Star Weekend as headliners such as Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, Carter and McGrady competed.
But one look at the recent list of winners indicates it has become a contest for role players instead of the league’s brightest stars.
Mac McClung, who is primarily a G League player, won the event in each of the last three years. Before him, it was Obi Toppin, Anfernee Simons, Derrick Jones Jr. and Hamidou Diallo.
While McClung deserves credit for bringing back some of the energy to the event with a threepeat and memorable dunks, even the battle between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon seems like a distant memory at this point.
Perhaps some of the league’s best players will see McGrady’s plea and return the event to the spotlight in the coming years.
