Since the departure of Michael Jordan from the NBA, the league has been searching for a new face and a new direction. Jordan single-handedly carried basketball through the 1990s, winning six championships as a member of the Chicago Bulls and catapulting the league into the mind of every sports fan. Diehard fans drooled over the way Jordan took over games, while even the most casual fan could not help but recognize His Airness’ shoe and clothing line.
The arrival of LeBron James seems to be the answer the league has been looking for. After a few seasons of subpar ratings and a lack of identity, the next squeaky-clean superstar has arrived. ‘Bron, at 20, is far and away better then Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett or anyone was at that age, and most importantly, he doesn’t have the troubled past characteristic of many NBA superstars.
LeBron has followed Jordan’s footsteps in almost every way. He wears Jordan’s No. 23, has a number of endorsement deals, sports his own shoe line and, most importantly, he is the single player on the Cleveland Cavaliers who makes his teammates better. Now, King James must follow Michael and make his mark on the Slam Dunk Contest.
I was thoroughly disappointed this past weekend in watching a pair of little-hyped high schoolers dueling for the dunk title. Josh and J.R. Smith have produced next to nothing in the league this season for the Hornets and Hawks, and I had never even seen them hit the floor until they busted out their best Dominique impressions for the world this weekend.
As a kid who grew up watching the Warriors of Run T.M.C., I was accustomed to the high-flying, high-energy play the league thrived on. I loved getting the opportunity to watch Jordan and the league’s other big names come to the arena to play and I always remember anxiously anticipating the dunk contests of yore, where the game’s big names would square off.
The league needs to return to the days where the superstars face off in the All-Star Weekend festivities, especially the Dunk Contest. Pay them more money or at least guarantee them some safety from flying cups. Something must be done to bring the face of the game back to the biggest show in the league.
At some point, LeBron must make his right of passage into the NBA elite by participating in and winning the Slam Dunk Contest. It is sad to watch Steve Nash put on more of a show than Amare Stoudemire with his passes off the head setting the big man up to throw one down. LeBron is the next Michael. He must carry the league through the next generation and thus, in the least, must participate in the league’s greatest spectacle.
The NBA is known for its dunks. That is what brings people to the arenas night in and night out. The league must ensure that its most popular players participate in its trademark competition, especially the players who are the future ambassadors of the game (a.k.a. LeBron James). Without them we will soon be seeing Kris Humphries and Dorell Wright battle it out for the Slam Dunk Championship. Who are they? My point exactly.
