An NBA fan pointed out how Kobe Bryant won the 1997 Dunk Contest with the same dunks that LeBron James has done in games.
LeBron James has come under fire recently for not participating in the Dunk Contest. In response to that, a James fan stated that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has given plenty of incredible dunks in games over the years and doesn’t need to participate in it. When pushed back on it with suggestions that none of LeBron’s dunks would have won the contest, the fan showed how Kobe Bryant won the Dunk Contest with the same kind of dunks.
It was a different time, of course, but had LeBron ever participated in a Dunk Contest, I think he would have had a good chance at winning. He is a freak athlete and is creative enough to the point where he could have emerged victorious.
Using this 1997 Dunk Contest that Bryant won as an example of why James could have won is not ideal, though. This edition was so underwhelming that the NBA actually canceled the 1998 Dunk Contest, and it was replaced with 2Ball. There was no Dunk Contest the following year either, as there was no All-Star weekend in 1999, but it and the contest returned in 2000.
LeBron James Did Win A Dunk Contest When He Was In High School
James has only ever taken part in one Dunk Contest, and that was all the way back in 2003. He entered the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest in Cleveland as a high school senior and won it by recording 250 points in the finals.
It is a shame that this was the only time we saw him take part in one. LeBron would also win MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, as he recorded 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead the East to a 122-107 win over the West.
LeBron James Revealed Why He Never Took Part In The Dunk Contest
Back in 2009, LeBron had claimed he would participate in the 2010 Dunk Contest, but he didn’t end up taking part. Many wondered why he always shied away from it, and James revealed why he never wanted to participate in the Dunk Contest.
“I don’t think it was something I wanted to accomplish in my career; it’s not a goal of mine, and it never was coming into the NBA to be a part of the Dunk Contest, you know? Making the NBA All-Star Team was, being the league MVP, winning Defensive Player of the Year, and winning NBA Championships… Those were some goals of mine. The NBA Dunk Contest was never a goal of mine so, it wasn’t something that I had too much passion for.”
You get it never was a goal, but it probably wasn’t a goal for many great players. They still took part in it to entertain the fans, and you wish LeBron had gone down the same route. Now, with him being 39 years old, it’s safe to say we’ll never see him in one.
