Dominique Wilkins on Why Top Players Don't Enter Dunk Contest, Ja Morant would Win Today (Part 9)
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
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NBA legend Dominique Wilkins reflected on his experiences and the evolution of the Slam Dunk Contest. Noting that in 1984, all top players would enter the contest, Wilkins said that today's best dunkers, like Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Giannis, Lebron James, and Russell Westbrook, don’t participate at all. According to Wilkins, these players might fear it would negatively affect their legacy. He reminisced about his first dunk contest, where he came third after Larry Nance and Julius Erving. His initial lack of passion changed when he saw Dr. J, causing him to compete more fiercely the following year. He also shared how he felt losing to his teammate Spud Webb. Finally in response to who among the current NBA roster would win the Slam Dunk Contest, Wilkins picked Ja Morant. 
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MOST WILL SAY VINCE CARTER AMD THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TOO .....BUT DOMINIQUE WAS A GREAT PLAYER AND IN GAME DUNKER....GAVE YOUR FAVORITE PLAYERS 40 LIKE IT.WAS NOTHING💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
@@easymoneyproductions9898 you on
Dwight was the last one that was a superstar in the league, entered & won in 08
Yep.
*Blake Griffin
@@o.g.new-blood1681 wouldn’t consider him a superstar or at the level of VC
@@o.g.new-blood1681yeah but Blake was a star because of his dunking. Dwight (and other stars who have won the contest) had elements to their game beyond just dunking, which is what makes it even more impressive if they win
All star not a super star
I believe that the thing that ruined the dunk contest is the internet (social media)! You see, before the internet you didn't get to see all of the best dunkers. You couldn't just look up the best dunks! Dunks traveled by word of mouth (you heard that Dr. J and Jordan could jump from the free throw line, you heard that David Thompson could touch the top of the backboard etc...) and you had to wait until the dunk contest to see it! Nowadays there are dunk contest for high school players, colleges, and semi pro and overseas players just to name a few and you can go to social media just minutes after the dunk has been completed! Also, when M. Jordan and D. Wilkins were competing, very few people had seen a 360 dunk. Now everybody does it and nobody's impressed with it. It is much harder to impress the fans now than it was 25 - 30 years ago!!
Well said
Hmmm, makes sense.
Facts. Humans can only do so much new and entertaining in the air with a basketball and a rim before stuff has to be repeated and eventually gets stale (or reinvented, i.e. Slam Ball). What reasonable elite NBA athlete wants to tape up and play thru an old (or new) injury to repeat the dunks that are already on RUclips in HD and Slo-mo, while trying to feed their family in the NBA, which is a "next man up" business?
I don’t think so. People are still looking up Vince Carter dunks. The problem is the new generation. It’s cooler to wave guns around on social media.
Very well said I agree ‼️
I was a tiny kid watching Jordan vs Dominique 2 yrs in a row and was hooked.
Its sad that today's superstars and all-stars are not in the dunk contest. They need to be in the dunk contest to do it for the fans like Dominique and Michael did it.
Yes! I Couldnt Wait To See 🤗 That S..t Was Fire
As a kid, I would go to Hawks games for three empty bags of Maxwell House Coffee and watch them beat the crap out of whoever they were playing. Saw Spud dunk in a game. Many by Nique.
Stop disrespecting dwight howard
It literally means nothing. A dunk contest means nothing for a guy like Lebrons legacy. Just like it didn't affect Magic, Bird, etc legacy.
Not everyone is a "show dunker". Alot of guys are just "game dunkers". It takes a great deal of creativity. If these guys blew away the dunk contest but couldn't win a game, you would say he's spending his time wrong
THE PROBLEM IS THEY R SCARED TO LOSE
Exactly !! Straight punks
That’s all it is, their ego is too fragile.
Sounds like boxing
Cause judges can’t be trusted
Yepp
Gordon vs lavine dunk contest was a classic
It was a fiasco.
He said that him and Jordan did the Dunk Contest for the fans but nowadays players don't really care about the fans like in the 80s, 90s and the early 2000s.
This guy is a Legend and a Class Act
One of the most random people to be on here, but as one of my most favorite dunkers/players of all time im glad he is.
It's hard to quantify how good DW truly was.
So well spoken, level headed, and gracious too.
Imagine a 230 lbs Zion.
They need to just get the best dunkers worldwide and have a player Sponsor them. The dunk contest would be legendary
oooooh!
That's what I'm saying! Nba players ain't fucking with professional dunkers
@@chrisisslickdat was a thought i had for 2023 contest but Mac McClung saved it,2016 Zach n Aaron were not top tier players at the time but after their Blockbuster showdown,Their status skyrocketed.
@@cornbreadmilton5265 McClung technically ain't an nba player tho. He's in the g league, but he showed up and showed out!
Nowadays They are scared to embarrass themselves.
😂
Facts . We already know lebron is a cry baby
@@RustyNail-e2j LecryBaby lives in your head rent free
Exactly you're right
@@silewis9396 rent is free betting against lebron
Just imagine had nique had won a few rings, he would be considered one of the top 10 greatest, probably
Definitely not
-- great scorer. Teammates were good but not great. Played against Bird and then MJ so he never had a chance in the East.
But man oh man, he scored over 26,000 pts -- for a player known for his dunking. Incredible.
@@jlui21 lol I want to disagree but I can't, you're right
I was a Jordan fan, I thought Wlikins won. As a matter of fact, the rule was if you missed a dunk, the highest you could get was a 45. They gave Jordan a 50 for his replacement dunk. Not to mention, I thought they low balled Wlikins on one of his dunks. Jordan won 147 to Wilkins 145. Which included that 50 from that replacement dunk. Take away the 5 pts. that Jordan was never suppose to get. Wilkins wins!
Even Jordan admitted that Wilkins should've won
In 1985 Dominique Wilkins faced Michael Jordan in the Slam Dunk Contest and won, Spudd Webb won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1986.
Seen all that was named. The MJ and Dominique was dope and the spud Webb and the vince carter both were crazy!
I've never heard his thoughts about not being picked for the original Dream Team. I always thought that he should have been on that team
He was picked but he got injured that’s when he hurt his Achilles 91 I think
@@twogzup293January of 92 he ruptured his Achilles tendon. He was right up there with all of the greats back then.
Lol mane you and Mike was doing the same dunks multiple contests in the row 😂 and that Aaron Gordon vs lavine probably the best one I’ve seen
He means as far as hype. Not actual dunks.
@@Obstakill Zach LaVine actually tried to make simplified copies of Aaron's dunks.
Dominique used to be one of my favorite players, and you can tell by the way he carries himself that he’s a humble, down to earth type of person. Very classy guy, I salute him 👌🏾
All the best dunks have been done and we have the posters to show for it. The dunk contest now happens in every regular game. So there is no need for a specific contest. Back in the day only a few guys dunked as often or as showy as today. So in the contests of the last, say 10-15 years it's getting comical. And not to knock on Dominique, but, 5'7 Spud dunking was hands down way cooler and more impressive than Wilkins at 6'8 windmilling or whatever. So Spud definitely won that contest.
Zack lavine and Aaron has the most respect from me . Y’all new nba player too 🐱
I bought a poster of Mike's free throw line dunk.... random dude sees me buy it and we started talking about the '88 dunk contest(I was in kindergarten at the time 😅)and the 1st thing he said was that Mike only won because it was in Chicago....Shout to 'Nique
It was just a different time and era. Those times were rare and fun. Not so much now cause it's expected for you to do a 360 on the internet.
It's because of social media. Social media will destroy that players career if he loses
Lol and espn
Facts. Social media got zero chill for even 2 place.
@@beery6659Facts 😂😂
@@beery6659 what about the superstars now
@@beery6659he ain’t a slam dunk contest type of dunker ge had hops and power but he didn’t have the creativity to be in a slam dunk contest
The reason a man like Mac Mcclung won is because he is hungry and despite getting denied his spot in the league. Dude can ball, has otherwordly hops, and has no fear.
Ja has the skill, but these superstars are just too afraid to lose.
Continue to represent Virginia Mac!👍🏾
Vlad the goat.... this is the human highlight Dominique Wilkins
Anyone going up against a 5’6” high flyer is going to loose period because of the height difference.
-- Losing 1 is fine. But the travesty is Nate at 5'9 winning 3 dunk contests and A-a-ron being 0-3 is sad.
As a short person, I love it when Spud Webb won -- even if he earned brownie points for being short. But 3 dunk wins for Nate? He's an incredible dunker at 5'9 but he isn't the best dunker. I'd argue that that hurt the NBA contest. (Firstly, Lebron pretending to join the contest but always fizzling out gave other stars their Right to skip it as well).
Arron Gordon being robbed twice was the end of the dunk contest for me.
I was thinking the same thing , arron gordon was the one was supposed to save the dunk contest but after they robbed him twice it went down hill from there
Aaron Gordon vs Lavine was the last one
S\o D Wilkins one of my favorite ever in I was born in 01 I would watch Dominique highlights all day cuz of my uncle
Because the bar has been set too high…not just by players but you have professional dunkers now that don’t even play basketball. I agree with what Nique is saying, and I wish the good players would all do it… but I understand why they don’t.
That's exactly why. The bar is set too high. How do you follow up AG and LaVine?
Jordan, Unique, Carter put on iconic dunk contests but that's where it stops. I catch a lot of heat for saying Carter has been bested multiple times over since his iconic showing. If you put those dunks that he did against a few contestants after him, he isn't winning the contest.
@@albertc2390 yup. People tend to forget that most contests are duds- and to reiterate what Dominque said in the clip: it won’t actually hurt anyone’s legacy. You might get clowned on for a day and a half on social media. Again: so what. Think about it: we talk about the 80s contests…then nothing (people forget the contest had dropped off so badly that they got rid of it in the 90s and brought it back just for Kobe)… then 2000… (Nate and Dwight, but who cares?) then another decade and a half before Gordon and Levine. Years or even decades go by with no good contests…but nobody’s legacy gets ruined for trying.
You ain’t trying to waste most of your energy practicing dunks, when you might get one or two dunks a game at the most, and the skills to able to get that to that dunk is more important to your career.
I disagree … they don’t wanna lose .. they punks !! It’s a character thing … different generations have different characteristics …
Ja elevation alone makes his dunks exciting so all he gotta do is finish whatever dunk he does and it’s a 10
It's about the fans 💯
When Jordan admitted stopping being in the dunk contest he started winning rings.... that's the mentality that all have followed
I'm still trying to figure that Gordon situation myself that ticked me off they played him on dunk contest twice. I wouldn't do it again either
The first contest he got robbed by Shaq, who is dumb as a shoe, and shouldn't be let to judge anything, or talk another word ever again. The second time Aaron faced Miami Heat player Derrick Jones Jr. in the contest. NBA decided to attach Heat-legend Dwyane Wade as a judge. That ended up as everyone suspected.
Carter, TMac and Francis was the best ever but Jordan in Chicago was lit
Dominique in the studio working on an album. 😂
Dominique looks good. He's still in very good shape
Hitting them with the truth.
i deliver to his home man he a laid back guy.. s/o nique i got his throwback jersey. forever my favorite hawk #21
People expectations are too high, i never dunked, but I can watch a man do a two handed windmill and say " not impressive " there's critics way worst than me. People are expecting dudes to defy gravity😂
That’s a fact. I was around some kids at the park. I did a clean 2 hand windmill off the drop step and them lil nuggas really boo’d me 😂....
Top players scared to lose/embarrassed themselves
Greek did enter the contest he lost
The players who do enter do it to gain recognition and maybe earn endorsements
-- Theory. Lebron never joining the dunk contest gave other Superstars the "okay" to not join the contest.
secondly, Nate winning 3 while Aaron Gordon being 0-3 shows what a joke it has become. Aaron gordon's duel w/ Zach Lavine was GREAT though.
truth be told these players are scared of looking bad on social media and the sports talk shows.
FACTS‼️😂
Human Highlight aka Neek hands down my favorite player I used to hate seeing doc rivers not pass him the ball 🤦🏾♂️
All class Nique human highlight film.
Kobe was an 18 old rookie then
In the '84 dunk contest Michael Cooper was awesome, should have won
Mr. Underrated. The human highlight film
Dwight Howard I'll say top of the game when he went he was in his Orlando prime finals appearance defensive player of the year
Dwight Howard is not on vince Carter level ????
Legend
I believe this all started when Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter didn't go against each other in the much anticipated dunk matchup. After both decided not to enter again that's when the top tier players stopped competing in the dunk contest. The other player that was an incredible dunker was Jason Richardson. He actually entered the dunk contest three times and won two. I would have liked to seen Kobe, Vince, and Jason go against each other in the dunk contest. I believe the best players cheat the fans out when they don't enter and compete.
I wouldn't disagree with you but like Dominique said you do it for the fans. The fans was clamoring to see Vince and Kobe go at it. Also, to do the dunk contest on the highest stage the highest level people would have appreciate it and the memories that you leave behind for fans to talk about. Just like the Jordan/Dominique contest fans and just people in general are still talking about that dunk contest.
Yep. Vince would have destroyed Kobe. Vince had the same advantages that Jordan had; which Kobe did NOT have.
Extra huge hands.
Kobe was supposed to be in the 2000 dunk contest. He pulled out
Smart man..
Plz don’t forget about Jason Richardson he was a trendsetter in the dunk contest!
At this point it isn’t about the dunk its about whose doing it
Would you rather see Trey murphy iii do an east bay dunk …
Or would you rather see Ja Morant do an east bay dunk ? ….
Would you rather see Shadon Sharpe do a 360 windmill or Zion do a 360 windmill ?….
So guys saying we’ve seen it all and its hard to impress nowadays. I don’t quite agree with that . Mac McClung has “ brought back “ the dunk contest and he’s not a star . No disrespect to Mac cuz he can ball . But It would be a lot cooler to watch Ja , Zion , Ant go at it .
I see the hawks on bally's, but i wonder how he feels about having folks pass him the ball in the contesr.
Nique was college roommates with my fam Pee Wee Leonard. Pee Wee went to Georgia then transferred to SLU
Aaron Gordon was spectacular in those dunk contests
*Aaron Gordon
@@michaelrichardson3708 😅🤣😂 let me edit that
They scared to lose.. s/o dominic Wilkins was da man 💯 he wasn’t scared of the competition him , mike
Legend
Dwight Howard in 08 or 09 was probably the last superstar to be in the dunk contest. Blake Griffin maybe if you want to count him.
Dame?
@@SmooveTV718 shit I didn't even know he was in there. 2014 I missed that one
The reality is, we've now seen 98% of what's humanly possible for an uncontested dunk. People are much harder to impress, and all that jumping is hard on the body. In the mind of the elite players, the negatives simply outweigh the positives. I think the dunk competition would need to be reinvented somehow to get elite names to enter, and beat up their body. They're saving themselves for the season, and more wisely for earning bigger/better contracts. Let the RUclipsrs and Slam Ball players do the dunking. The NBA should focus on finding new fun skilled contests like passing and trick shots, and maybe add a competition like "hidden talents", and let the players entertain with new imagination inspiring play.
This is a cop out. They feel they are too good for the dunk contest. It’s for the fans and the fans pay to see the best. We don’t want to see people we do not know in the dunk contest.
@@MichaelLee-pl4sh What's your basketball background? Real high level adult ball players learn early the physical price you pay for extreme explosive performances. It's not easy or guaranteed that you'll recover 100% physically after performance like a dunk competition. Back in the day when most trick dunks were new and exciting, it was (somewhat) worth risking physical injury in an attempt to make history, and to make a name for yourself. Fast-forward to today... the best dunkers are not in the NBA, they're on RUclips. The best dunkers aren't even well rounded basketball players, they're dunk specialists, that can play a little bit. Everyone, including NBA players, know that real dunk fans are going to compare the dunks that NBA players are capable of, with the dunks everyone has seen on RUclips, performed by dunk specialists that can play a little bit, and the smart players make an executive decision to let the dunk specialists have shine, and the NBA player will focus on longevity of their professional career, the big money, the NBA contacts, endorsements and more. The best dunkers are now on RUclips, and probably coming soon to Amazon Prime Video. LOL 😆
Excuses
A dunk contest is not hard on the body. What the heck are u talking about dude?
Bllshht! Todays "star" players just don't want to be embarrassed! Too rich, too spoiled and full of themselves period!
Those two lightskin ninjas was some of the best of all time
D Howard was the top center in the league around the time he entered............
Facts !!!!!!
Nique was a beast
Only recent dunk contest you can compare from back then n now is 2016 AG vs LV😮💨🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Giannis was in the 2015 dunk contest
Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Zion, Wiggins, Gordon and Levine I’m sure still have it…
I know know why people forgot how elite Dwight Howard was when he was in the dunk contest.
Perhaps those Elite players want to give some Shine to lesser known players!
I doubt that very much it's called scared.
PREACH!!! The root of the problem with today’s NBA and today’s athletes!!!!!!
Y'all truly forgetting about Zach Lavine he killed the dunk contest and was better than Gordon's dunk contest.
I strongly agree
Rubbish. Gordon clearly won
@noanalyst no way at all buddy
It's because we basically have seen all the dunks that could be done so nba superstars has nothing to offer new. Add the fact that the new things that we haven't seen in the nba, we already have seen via pro dunkers on youtube so all of us have some level of expectation on what's a great dunk or not unlike in Niq's era where majority of people don't see amazing dunks being done on the courts. It's time to bring pro dunkers in the nba. I have said this before, let the top players have a draft and pro dunkers will be on the pool.
People STILL blaming the friends instead of holding them accountable for their own actions?!!🤷🏽♂️
I think every dunk has been done already lol
FROM OG HE WAS ROB OF DUNK CONTEST VS SPUD WEBB FOR SURE AM JUST SAYING VLAD
And thats the difference between Bron and Jordan and even Kobe they competed in the competitions for the fans and had great seasons
No the problem is the superstar who loses are going to be critiqued as if they folded in the finals
The Human Highlight Reel
The NBA been scary since 03😂
Its all ego now.....Back in the 80s, 90s there was a crazy competitive spirit but not where it got to their egos of things like contests and all. They knew how to have fun and their also knew when they had to go to war against each other. They could seperate the two. Now its all about the bag and not wanting to be seen with such and such.....I can't blame the players totally but the league has also played its part in creating this mindset....
I remember Charles Barkley saying he didn’t want to risk injury in the contests..
The most dominant dunk contestant was Mr Vince Carter but Jordan and Niqe was most memorable
Dominique beat Michael in 1985. He skipped right over that.
🦾🕶️🥇🏆🏀 Preach! Dominique Preach!
He would’ve won, if had style and creativity but he was reliant on power. He just didn’t have that flare.
Real simple.
They can't compete.
What are they gonna do that a social media dunker, with no game, hasn't done better?
Besides contested dunks in the game are more exciting because of the explosive power and spontaneity.
They're like a brutal one punch knock out in an MMA fight or boxing match.
They just skipped over 85 beating Mike before he lost to Spud
Dwight Howard was a star when he was in the dunk contest.
The problem is there’s a difference between game dunks and dunk contest dunks. I’d say Ja afraid to embarrass his self. I’ve seen him do nice dunks that weren’t “in game”. LeBron, even in his prime didn’t ever have a crazy dunk package. Would’ve only disappointed people.
Cause its so hard to be original everything’s been done. What Aaron Gordon did was very special. Nothing wrong with not wanting to lose even Kobe didn’t want to participate in the 2000 dunk contest cause he didnt want to lose to Vince. I think they should stop doing the dunk contest again since players are running out of ideas,like they did in 98, 99. Then bring it back like they did in 2000.
they don't join the dunk contest because their agents tell them 'that is not the best way to build YOUR BRAND'
simple; players now play for the money not for the love of ball/competition necessarily
Well they got some dumb ass agents then cause a having a good showing at the dunk contest would expand their brand...
Dunking is a novelty really not a competition of skill per se. Every player can do it
2:46 It was Dwight in 09
I think Anthony Edwards would be another good one,
Facts, and he’s got the love for the game he might do it 🤞
@@ratman5106 but honestly I'm even surprised that these teams, owners, would even let these guys with these huge contracts even participate
Aaron Gordon and Zac Lavine are my picks
Mike, Doc, Nique were multi-million dollar brands. The Ja's, Brons, Westbrooks, etc, are billion-dollar brands. Too many people besides themselves will lose a lot of money if they get hurt!
Especially lebron i always wanted to see lebron in dunk contest.
They need to put more respect on Dwight Howard.