“He was spark plug of demise!” LeBron James blasted by Stephen A Smith for ruining NBA’s tradition of dunk contest at All-Star events

Stephen A. Smith calls this year's Slam Dunk Contest the worst in history of All-Star games.

“He was spark plug of demise!” LeBron James blasted by Stephen A Smith for ruining NBA’s tradition of dunk contest at All-Star events

Stephen A. Smith blames LeBron James for downfall of the Slam Dunk Contest (Images via ESPN/Getty Images)

This year’s NBA All-Star game took place last weekend. Like every year, players got to showcase all types of basketball skills during different contests held for three days. On Saturday, the Skills Challenge, Three-point contest, and the Slam Dunk contest were held.

Many were disappointed by this year’s matchups. Fans were not happy as the competitions did not live up to the expectations. Especially with the Slam Dunk Contest. It seems as if fans were not the only ones upset by the contest as ESPN First Take host Stephen A. Smith expressed his opinion on the downfall of the Slam Dunk Contest.

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While talking with Shannon Sharpe and Kendrick Perkins, Smith blamed LeBron James for ruining the Slam Dunk Contest.

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It stopped when LeBron said I'm not doing it... There is no one who knows basketball that would refute what I am saying. LeBron James refusing to participate was the beginning and the spark plug of its demise. Period! There is no one who can dispute that.

The Lakers forward never participated in the contest. Smith explained that the legends of the game, including Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and Kobe Bryant, participated and won the contest.

According to Smith, these high jumpers proceeded to be the Hall of Famers in the future. They showed their priority by participating in the contest. James’ decision not to participate was followed by other stars. Which caused the contest to not get prioritized by the stars of the game.

LeBron James did not attend NBA All-Star training and Media day

Marking his 20th All-Star appearance, LeBron James disappointed fans with his absence during the weekend. James was assigned as the Captain for Team West in this year’s All-Star game.

LeBron James at the 2024 All-Star game
LeBron James at the 2024 All-Star game (via Los Angeles Times/ Getty Images)

While all the other stars were present for the All-Star training and practice day as well as the media day, James decided not to participate. He arrived only on the day of the game on Sunday. NBA Fans were mad at the star for taking his selection for granted. Some even suggested he did not deserve to be the captain.

His performance in the game was below average as he missed a long three-pointer as well as a dunk during the game. He scored only eight points with four rebounds and 3 assists in the 14 minutes that he played.

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