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After Mac McClung won his third consecutive NBA Dunk Contest, Ja Morant, the star player of the Memphis Grizzlies known for his high-flying abilities, tweeted, “Mac might make me decide to dunk.” This suggests he is considering entering the 2026 NBA Dunk Contest, despite never having participated in one before. Following Ja Morant’s tweet, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo responded, “If you do it, I’ll do it with you.”
If Ja and Giannis decide to enter the dunk contest, it could signal the return of notable NBA players participating in the event. There was a time when legends like Michael Jordan, Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, and Kobe Bryant took part and won dunk contests. Since Kobe Bryant won the contest in 1997, only four other NBA All-Stars—Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Zach Levine, and Blake Griffin—have won, leading fans to believe that star players were just not interested in participating.
Many fans would have loved to see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and Derrick Rose enter a dunk contest. However, taking part in this event requires creativity. It’s not to say these players lack creativity, but they often find more incentive in in-game dunks than in planned-out contest performances. As for Ja, I believe he has the creativity needed to deliver an impressive showing. While it may be a stretch to expect either him or Giannis to beat McClung, given that McClung has more to play for, we shouldn’t get our hopes too high. Ultimately, we must remember that a couple of tweets are just talk. Until Ja and Giannis officially enter their names into the contest, we are left to wonder what might happen if they did.
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