Rich Paul Defends LeBron James’ Decision to Decline Dunk Contest Amid Fierce Criticism

Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James threw down some dunks during the 2026 All-Star game.

Rich Paul Defends LeBron James’ Decision to Decline Dunk Contest Amid Fierce Criticism

Rich Paul and LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Rich Paul defends LeBron James' decision to skip the Slam Dunk contest, citing his preference for in-game dunks.
  • Critics, including Stephen A. Smith, blame LeBron for the contest's lack of excitement.
  • Paul asserts that no single player can replace LeBron as the 'Face of the NBA' after his retirement.

Now that the All-Star weekend is over, LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates are gearing up for a late push to cement a place in the 2026 playoffs.

However, conversations surrounding the events of this past week have not died down, with most of the fans and members of the media still in awe of how competitive Sunday’s games were.

That praise was not misplaced, as even the 41-year-old did his part to make sure the games were entertaining enough to draw a 15-year record 8.8 million fans.

At the same time, the events from Friday and Saturday were boring at best, with the Slam Dunk contest taking the most heat for becoming an afterthought.

Naturally, a certain Stephen A. Smith picked up on it and levelled 100% of the blame on LeBron James’ shoulders. Soon, others followed the ESPN analysts’ lead, blaming the King for not setting the precedent when he had the chance.

At first, he was excited about doing it. He had an ankle injury one time, something else happened another time… He did say this in an interview, he’s like, ‘I’m more of an in-game dunker.’… He did feel that responsibility to do it at one time. I know that for a fact. At a certain point, you realize, you know what, this is probably not going to be something I actually do.

Rich Paul said on the Game Over Podcast

Rich Paul believes that his No. 1 client did not skip the Slam Dunk contest just because he chickened out. Instead, it was because LeBron James is not a standout dunker in the realm of a Vince Carter. Rather, he is just an in-game dunker.

One player cannot replace LeBron James as ‘Face of the NBA’

Another conversation that rose during the All-Star weekend was about the next ‘Face of the NBA.’ Anthony Edwards threw his hat in the ring by winning the All-Star MVP trophy, but there are some who believe he will not be the only one in the race.

LeBron James is a better in-game dunker
LeBron James is a better in-game dunker (Image via Ballislife/X)

When I look at the league today, talent-wise, yeah, there’s a number of guys you could say could probably be the face of the NBA at some point. I think it’ll be a collective of players just like it was when Michael left in 1998. I don’t think it was one person… There were storylines with all of them as a collective

Max Kellerman said

Rich Paul doubled down on his past view that once LeBron James retires, no one particular player can confidently take on the mantle of the ‘Face of the NBA.’

Even though Edwards has the swagger, the attitude, and competitive drive, the Klutch Sports CEO is not convinced he has the aura that James or Michael Jordan had.

LeBron James played golf with Jayson Tatum during All-Star weekend

The All-Star weekend meant that LeBron James and his peers would get multiple days off before playing their next game. With the Lakers playing three more games at home before starting their next road trip, the four-time league MVP had time on his hands.

Videos and photos appeared online showing the father of three using this time off from basketball to take a swing at his most recent hobby, golf.

LeBron James, Kevin Love and Jayson Tatum at the golf course
LeBron James, Kevin Love and Jayson Tatum at the golf course (Image via SS/IG)

This time, he had Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum for company, along with some of his closest friends, and Utah Jazz forward Kevin Love and his wife.

A clip shows James managing to sink a putt, a major improvement considering he picked up this hobby very late in his life. Maybe he is starting to be good enough to play with others.

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