Sham Dunk Contest

The NBA All-Star Weekend arrives this weekend and the big news is that the Slam Dunk Contest will feature Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Dr. J, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant ... as judges.

Through most of my adolescence, one poster hung over my room, almost like a shrine. It was from the 1988 Slam Dunk Competition. The photo featured Michael Jordan soaring through the air, ball cocked, tongue out, number 23 about to take his place as one of the baddest dunkers ever to grace this planet.

To most NBA connoisseurs, this is viewed as the greatest Slam Dunk Competition ever. Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in their prime battling it for who could top who. Jordan took the title, but it is still debated to this day, with many saying the "Human Highlight Film" was cheated. I say the right man won.

Nowadays, there is still debate, but for a much worse reason. Last year's champ, Nate Robinson, won the competition after 82 attempts at one dunk to beat Andre Iguodala. Not to take away anything from either of them, because both proved they belonged in the competition, but the whole point of this event is to have the best dunkers in the NBA vying for slamming supremacy.

From the first competition in 1984 until 2000, the Slam Dunk Competition not only brought the biggest and brightest stars to the competition, but also entertainment. During that time, we've seen the likes of Dr. J, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Spud Webb, Shawn Kemp, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and many others. This year we have the honor to watch Gerald Green, Robinson, Dwight Howard, and Tyrus Thomas ... who?

Anyone who has followed basketball during the slam dunk era has a favorite. I am probably in the majority who remember two different years. 1988, for the 'Nique/Jordan epic, and 2000 for Vinsanity.

1988 will go down as probably the best battle. Two of the top-50 players in the history of the game battling for nothing more than bragging rights. To put this into perspective, imagine Kobe and LeBron James battling out this weekend. Pardon, they will be battling it out this weekend ... in the skills competition, with Dwyane Wade, as well. But I digress.

Wilkins and Jordan were the top two scorers in the league, both had won a Slam Dunk Competition, Jordan the year before, and Wilkins in 1985. On a side note, the 1986 slam dunk champ, Spud Webb, was also in the building, providing Chicago Stadium with three of the four slam dunk champions.

Jordan and Wilkins would go back and forth through the finals with Jordan pulling it off with a free throw line jam that has stood as the litmus test for 50-point scores. Jordan didn't do it for the money — he did it to let everyone know he's the best.

That's the problem with today's athlete: competition comes second to the all-mighty dollar. Chicago rookie Thomas was quoted saying he plans to collect his check and be done with it. Which is why Chicago should try to trade him immediately. What makes players great is their competitiveness. There are numerous stories about Jordan's competitive streak. I'm sure the greats all had it.

Now we have players like LeBron James, who has the talent and ability to be the greatest. Too bad that James takes games off and coasts too much.

Players will tell you that all they want is the ring, but when push comes to shove, their financial future is all that really matters.

We can look to the mid-'90s as when this became apparent. Players lost interest in competing. Most players cited concerns of injuries and others felt that all the different kinds of dunks had been exhausted. With most of the superstars choosing not to participate, lesser-known players began to compete. This led to the NBA canceling the Slam Dunk Contest after the 1997 event, with the winner that year Kobe Bryant.

That all changed in 2000. The field was set with high-flyers and stars alike. Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Ricky Davis, Steve Francis (when he was still Stevie Franchise), Jerry Stackhouse, and Larry Hughes were the ones who would bring the contest back to prominence, if only for one night.

You all know what happened next, Carter blew everyone out the gym, and cemented his place as one of the greatest of all-time. All thought that a comeback was on the way. We were all wrong.

Since then, we've been wowed here and there, but nothing like year's past. I still hope that one day the best will dust off the Reebok Pumps for one more time, and have an ultimate contest.

Kobe, T-Mac, LeBron, D-Wade, Vince, Josh Smith. Now that's a Slam Dunk Competition. But that won't happen, either for fear of injury, or lack of player interest. Which will leave us with a contest like this year, with no real fan interest.

And maybe we'll have to hope for another cancellation to get the big guns out once again, and then just maybe, we won't have to hear talks about the judges being more exciting than the actual dunkers.