The Death of the Dunk Contest.

The slam dunk contest used to be one of the most entertaining events of the year. There were epic battles among the games best (Jordan vs. Wilkins) and the some of the most spectacular athletes showcasing their incomparable dunking prowess (Vince Carter). There was also Spud Webb.

But there was a problem. With only a basketball and a hoop, there is only so much a man can do. I don't care who he is, unless someone finds a way to dunk with no hands, it has pretty much all been done before.

Now the contest has been reduced to a glorified jumping contest. Granted, each leap has something extra, like a nice two-handed windmill (yawn), or a an arm covering one's eyes to give the illusion that they can't see (seen it). But the highlights of this year's contest were basically Dwight Howard jumping really high and putting a sticker on the backboard and Gerald Green leaping over Nate Robinson and a scorer's table. Sidenote to Nate Robinson, we get it, you are short and you can dunk. We are all very impressed, now go away.

The blame for this doesn't fall on the players. It's not their fault that everything has been done before. The NBA needs to breathe a little life into one of it's showcase events. Allow props. Encourage showmanship. Get the game's marquee players involved. Who wouldn't want to see Kobe attempt a 180 flip off a trampoline after going through a ring of fire?

The most interesting part of the above video are the highlights of Shaq and LeBron dancing. That doesn't bode well for the contest. Now look at the Slam Ball dunk below. Who would argue that it isn't more entertaining?