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LeBron James: Blake Griffin Has Home Court Advantage In Dunk Contest

by Tom Ziller • Dec 31, 2010 6:25 PM EST

LeBron James has never competed in the NBA's All-Star Weekend dunk contest. The dunk-off used to be a rite of passage for all budding stars. Michael Jordan, of course, won the contest twice and Kobe Bryant beat the most hilarious field ever in 1997. (Darvin Ham, Chris Carr, Michael Finley, Ray Allen (!) and Bobby Sura were the other contestants. Seriously.)

But King James has avoided the contest for whatever reason, despite pleading from fans and, no doubt, Secaucas. There is buzz that he, in a PR move, could change his mind and enter this season as All-Star Weekend pops up in Los Angeles in February.

The problem: Blake Griffin is L.A.'s new golden boy, and he'll likely be in the dunk-off. That makes LeBron nervous.

Via Chris Littmann, LeBron told reporters that he's torn on whether to enter the dunk contest this season. Blake is a reason why.

James noted that competing against the likes of Blake Griffin would be a challenge and says, "he's already got the home court advantage."

In complete seriousness, that's a good reason to decline an invite. As I noted, Kobe competed against Darvin Ham and Chris Carr. Griffin is a bit more of a challenge. Certainly, King James is not granted a victory by showing up, and it might be a bit embarrassing to fail to win a contest Nate Robinson has captured three times.

But LeBron has already been accused of being a wimp for joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami; shirking from a rookie in the dunk contest can only further that reputation. So while I think calling James a wuss for having the audacity to upgrade his supporting cast and climate is idiotic, I also love entertainment and recognize that LeBron vs. Blake could be a dunk-off for the ages. So, hey, LeBron ... don't be a wuss.

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Comments

I don't really like Lebron

but from a PR standpoint he’s better off not entering… he’s got absolutely nothing to gain out of entering

if he wins, then what, he increases his reputation? no one is going to think he’s a better man for entering and everyone knows he’s a great dunker

if he loses, then blake griffin laughs at him as do the rest of us

by vitzeng on Dec 31, 2010 7:28 PM EST reply actions

Completely disagree with that.

Fans love the dunk competition, and this would be a great PR move to get a few back in his corner.

Most fans love Nate Robinson for his antics during all star weekend, they reveled in it.

"Phil is obviously a good coach. You don't win that many games without being a damn good coach, ... Remember one thing: He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots. That's all I can say." - Red Auerbach

by Sizzlack on Jan 4, 2011 5:31 PM EST up reply actions

this is assuming he wins

if he doesn’t then he’ll be mocked and lose many more fans than he could possibly gain

also, nate robinson didn’t spend an hour shitting on an entire city/franchise and his reputation was already built because he is literally a little guy defying the odds

by vitzeng on Jan 5, 2011 12:56 AM EST up reply actions

I don't

want my teams best player injured in a dunk contest. NO THANKS.

"Don't give up, don't ever give up."

Follow me on Twitter

by Jeterian 2 on Jan 1, 2011 1:38 PM EST reply actions

Has a player ever gotten injured in a dunk contest?

the all star game is actually more dangerous than the dunk contest, there aren’t any feet to sprain your ankle on in a dunk contest and there are no defenders to push you. A player is a thousand times more likely to injure himself in any game then he is in a dunk contest.

"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right"unknown

by bestclipfan on Jan 2, 2011 2:19 AM EST up reply actions