There is no question that the NBA Slam Dunk contest does not have the same cache that it once did. I remember back in the day when MJ, Dominique, Spud Webb, and even Dee Brown and his infamous Reebok Pumps made the Slam Dunk Contest the highlight of NBA All-Star weekend. (And for the record, I’m not old enough to remember DR. J in the Slam Dunk contest, but obviously his exploits were legendary and must-see TV as well.)
Now though? Well, times have changed. For the most part, the marquee names do not participate anymore. Can you imagine LeBron James and Dwyane Wade being in the Slam Dunk Contest today? Sadly, no. But back in the day, it was high profile players like these who made the Slam Dunk Contest great. I’m fairly certain, off the top of my head, that Dwight Howard won the Slam Dunk Contest last year. Beyond that, I’m not sure I could name anyone else who has won the Slam Dunk Contest this decade. I guess you could say that makes me a subpar NBA fan, but I think it is more of an indictment of the Slam Dunk Contest’s lowered profile that non-die hard NBA fans, but huge sports fans, like myself do not have a lot of great recent memories of the once prestigious contest.
With all that said, I plan to make a concerted effort to tune in this year. Maybe the Slam Dunk Contest is still great and I just haven’t been giving it a chance. We’ll see.
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Anyway, here are the particulars for the 2009 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest:
2009 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Schedule and Preview
- When: Saturday, February 14, 2009
- Time: 8:00 ET
- TV Schedule: TNT, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night
- Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, Cheryl Miller, and Mike Fratello
- Participants: Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, J.R. Smith, and Rudy Fernandez
- Official website of 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
And to whet your appetite for all of the slam dunk madness of Saturday, here are some videos of the participants’ best dunks:
2009 Slam Dunk Contest Participant Dwight Howard – Top 10 Dunks:
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2009 Slam Dunk Contest Participant Nate Robinson – Top 10 Dunks:
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2009 Slam Dunk Contest Participant Rudy Fernandez – Top 10 Dunks:
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2009 Slam Dunk Contest Participant Rudy Gay – Top 10 Dunks:
(Note: Rudy Gay was supposed to participate, but is being replaced by J.R. Smith due to injury.)
What’s your prediction?
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About Jerod Morris
