{"id":121206,"date":"2026-02-16T17:47:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T22:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/stephen-a-smith-blames-lebron-james-for-nba-slam-dunk-contests-entertainment-decline-121206"},"modified":"2026-02-16T17:47:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T22:47:49","slug":"stephen-a-smith-blames-lebron-james-for-nba-slam-dunk-contests-entertainment-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/stephen-a-smith-blames-lebron-james-for-nba-slam-dunk-contests-entertainment-decline-121206","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A Smith blames LeBron James for NBA Slam Dunk Contest’s entertainment decline"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NBA<\/a> All-Star Weekend drew mixed reviews from fans on social media, with many calling out the lack of entertainment in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret the signature event of the pre-All-Star-Game festivities hasn\u2019t been what it used to be, and the latest version on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles was more of the same.<\/p>\n

Miami Heat<\/a> forward Keshad Johnson won the event, but the showing by all four contestants didn\u2019t wow the crowd and those on social media.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In turn, the debate about the event came to ESPN\u2019s “First Take” where personality Stephen A. Smith actually pointed some blame in the direction of a non-participant \u2014 Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m going to blame LeBron James,” Smith said to the panel. “Now, I\u2019ve sat here for months and I\u2019ve applauded his greatness and all the things he had done and he has meant to the NBA, but I\u2019ve said it and I\u2019m going to be very consistent\u2026The person who really is the provocateur to ruin the slam dunk contest is him.”<\/p>\n

MEHDI HASAN RIPS LEBRON JAMES OVER ISRAEL COMMENTS AT NBA ALL-STAR GAME<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

While Smith didn\u2019t have any evidence as to why James ruined the contest, he\u2019s simply saying that the all-time great never competing in the event is bad for it in general.<\/p>\n

“He was a superstar who put on a dunk contest every night in the layup line, particularly when he knew there was momentum swelling for him to participate, and he never did. He even teased that he was going to participate one year.”<\/p>\n

Perhaps Smith is implying James\u2019 lack of participation has led other NBA superstars to steer clear of the event. Gone are the days when fans get iconic dunk battles with players like Zach Levine and Aaron Gordon.<\/p>\n

Mac McClung, who is currently on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, has been a big draw in recent seasons considering his show-stopping dunks that blew away the rest of the competition. He won three straight contests from 2023-25.<\/p>\n

But the event on Saturday, which also featured James\u2019 Lakers teammate, Jaxson Hayes, San Antonio Spurs\u2019 Carter Bryant and Orland Magic\u2019s Jase Richardson, the son of two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson, was a hard watch.<\/p>\n

“I didn\u2019t think about the contest,” he said. “I want to applaud Keshad Johnson for winning. Pat Riley standing up and applauding him\u2026but we all know it was terrible because there was no star power. The reality is that we are going to bring it home to where the GOATS can get it.”<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s not only James who could bring some big star power to the event. But what was once the event where Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard and many others had to compete, it has turned into one where players of lesser status in the league try to make a name for themselves.<\/p>\n

The last notable NBA All-Star to win the event was Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who was playing for the Utah Jazz in 2018 when he took home the victory.<\/p>\n

Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s<\/strong><\/i>\u00a0sports coverage on X<\/strong><\/i><\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to<\/strong><\/i>\u00a0the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/strong><\/i><\/a>.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/stephen-a-smith-blames-lebron-james-nba-slam-dunk-contests-entertainment-decline <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NBA All-Star Weekend drew mixed reviews from fans on social media, with many calling out the lack of entertainment in the Slam Dunk Contest on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-121206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStephen A Smith blames LeBron James for NBA Slam Dunk Contest's entertainment decline - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/stephen-a-smith-blames-lebron-james-for-nba-slam-dunk-contests-entertainment-decline-121206\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stephen A Smith blames LeBron James for NBA Slam Dunk Contest's entertainment decline - 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