Lebron Loves the Spotlight

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/lebron-james-preliminarily-commits-to-the-2010-slam-dunk-conte/

As Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard battled it out during of the finals of Saturday's Slam Dunk contest, TNT's Kenny Smith revealed that LeBron James has agreed to participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk contest. Surely he was joking, right? Putting King James on the spot in an effort to shame him into accepting?

Apparently not. Minutes later, James confirmed the news to Cheryl Miller. "Right now I'm preliminarily putting my name in the 2010 contest Saturday night," he said before continuing in the third-person, "LeBron James is saying in 2010, in Dallas Stadium, [preliminarily] he will compete." If he follows through, we may be witness to one of the greatest contests in All-Star history -- even if I'm not entirely convinced he'll win.

Yes, James is a freak of nature, and watching him maneuver on a fast break is a lesson in raw power and athleticism. But while his dunks may register on the Richter scale, it takes creativity to win the contest, which puts him on equal footing with the rest of the contestants.

Well, almost equal footing -- Smith also said that James' planned on one-upping Howard by dunking on a 13-foot rim, and while Smith was probably joking, LeBron is such an incredible athlete you never can tell.

Either way, here's the best news: if James puts his hat in the ring, the pressure will be on every other All-Star to join him. Can you imagine him having it any other way? Do you really think he'd agree to compete after so many years of fans begging him only to be shown up by the likes of J.R. Smith or Rudy Fernandez? No chance.

I'm not sure Kobe Bryant or Vince Carter still have the springs in their legs to compete, but at the very least James' presence could set the stage for the likes of Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant (yes, he'll be playing on Sunday by then) and Howard.

Even Robinson seemed to know the score, telling Miller during his acceptance speech that he wasn't sure if he'd compete again next year. Having LeBron in the contest would be the best thing to happen to the NBA's All-Star Weekend in years, and if he wants to handpick the contestants, you have to believe the NBA will let him.

Always about him, isnt it?
 

JayJ44

Starter
This time, you can't really blame Lebron. People kept asking him all weekend, can't really blame them. If he goes through with it, that should be sick. Dude is so athletic, but I hope he can think of something creative. It would be shame to waste all that athleticism.
 

TunerAddict

Starter
He can't dunk on a 13 ft rim. Thats just silly.The world record is like 12'6" and the guy that did it has a 53 inch vertical...
 

New New York

Quiet Storm
The Game needs players like Lebron in the Dunk Contest

Remember the days of Wilkens vs. Jordan or Dr. J vs. Nance, these guys were the stars of The NBA! It really made the event what it is today.

The Dunk contest got boring when it consisted soley of C List players. Nowadays if you dont get a star player in the event as a rookie then it's not going to happen. That's why I respect Dwight for going in two years in a row.

Imagine a Slam Dunk Competition with

Lebron
Dwight
VC
Nate (as the underdog)

Kudos to David Stern for still being able to build excitement around the event!
 

quiggle

Starter
yeah it reminded me of when A-Rod announced he was opting out during the Red Sox World Series. they all bitch divas.
 

Pricey

Rotation player
i hate LeBron James, reeks of arrogance but then again when ur that good it would be hard not to be.
At least this All-Star weekend he didnt try to take away to limelight from other players like he did when Daniel Gibson was in the Rookie\Sophmore game.
 

Pricey

Rotation player
anyone else here get tired about his powder throwing pregame ritual?
its the most stupid thing ive ever seen, him and Garnett look like tossers when they do that.
It drags attention towards them and its not needed
 
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