In a way, it’s amazing the NBA Slam Dunk Contest still exists. Longtime fans will tell you that there have been multiple moments over the decades when it felt like we’d run out of new and interesting ways to dunk a basketball. And in many ways, that rings true.
Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson won the 2026 Slam Dunk contest this past weekend, becoming the latest in a long line of bench players and journeymen to take home the crown. The days of Michael Jordan competing against Dominique Wilkins are long gone, and the days of anything resembling a star player even taking part in the contest are a distant memory.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins has never been one to hold his tongue, and the NBA analyst had some strong words about the state of the slam dunk contest following this weekend’s “embarrassing” version.
“That was an embarrassment,” said Perkins on Monday’s First Take. “If there was one thing that stood out that was an embarrassing moment for the All-Star Weekend, that dunk contest was horrible,” Perkins said. “And I wouldn’t say that…and I’m going to sit up here today and say the dunk contest don’t need to go anywhere, but it does need to be fixed. And the only way you could fix it is by you need the big, top players, the big names, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant. Hell, I would even like to see Wemby in it at seven-seven participate.
“The difference between the dunk contest and the three-point contest, the superstars and stars, they participate in the three-point contest. We saw Dame Lillard…we need those big-name guys, whatever Adam Silver and the NBA need to do to get those guys to commit and participate, damn it, get it done. It might cost a little lettuce, but make sure they make sure you get it done. The dunk contest means too much to the NBA and All-Star Weekend.”
This isn’t a new argument, of course. Stephen A. Smith echoed the sentiments on ESPN as well. People have been clamoring for the league’s stars to take part for decades. And every so often, someone will. But for the most part, there’s little incentive for any star player to put their reputation on the line in a contest that’s already saturated in terms of what can be done.
Perkins doesn’t think the slam dunk contest should go away, but he’s unlikely to get what he wants to make it better. So where does that leave things?