Stephen A. thinks LeBron James is at fault for the Dunk Contest’s demise?! | First Take
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 18 фев 2024
- On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Shannon Sharpe join Molly Qerim to reflect back at Stephen A.’s NBA All-Star Dunk Contest comments from 2022 after Mac McClung won the 2024 competition.
#ESPN #FirstTake
✔️ Subscribe to ESPN+ plus.espn.com/
✔️ Get the ESPN App: www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
✔️ Subscribe to ESPN on RUclips: es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoRUclips
✔️Subscribe to ESPN FC on RUclips: bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoESPNFC
✔️Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on RUclips: bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoNBAonESPN
Watch ESPN on RUclips TV: es.pn/RUclipsTV 
Спорт
SAS got Unc good on that last question 🤣🤣🤣
You sure about that? They cut away before he could answer 🤦🏽♂️
He was sputtering lol
@souljapimp oh he got him because Shannon stated it would have to do with hands lol.... so he acknowledged that if during pro bowl werkend if they had a hands competition he would od performed lol...
Stephen A asked the perfect question Shannon had no answer lol
Agree
would shooters enter the 3 point contest if the winner was determined by judges?
@@w00deey12 that's cuz you don't need a judge to determine whether it's a 3 or not, you're judging a dunk on other stuff besides if it actually went in
@@w00deey12So being judged in a competition is the problem.
The question is not a good one cause it is position specific. Being the best dunker doesn't make you the best player. Now if the contest was a 1v1 and LeBron didn't participate then Stephen a Smith question would make sense.
Lack of creativity hurts the quality of the dunk contest more than anything.
Right remember Jamario Moon the birthday cupcake dunk? Blowing out the candle thos were the good old days
It's that, most of the doable dunks have been done and the star players don't want to look silly if they lose or keep fucking up. Players today are so careful about their image.
I agree. At this point, what other kind of dunks can you do other than like eating half a Chipotle bowl midair and then catching an alley oop or something? 😂😂
@@princellasmith7562 right!! Everything has been done! Totally agree
@@cryptidian3530 100%
Remember Bron said in 2009 that he was entering himself in the dunk contest the next year at cowboys stadium? Then outta nowhere he didn’t participate. I wonder why?
cuz he is, was and always will be.....a wuss
Exact first thing I thought of
I'm so mad Stephen A and Perkins didn't bring that up! He PUT HIS NAME into the contest, it CLEARLY meant at least something to him. Unless he just wanted the attention, he put his name in and backed out, and this was while he was even before his true prime. That's what bothers me about it.
the definition of self means that nothing external defines the self. Translation: your opinion will never define LeBron
@@w00deey12 sounds good
Unc ain’t escaping this one
Yea, as Unc said… let’s also blame Lebron for inflation. That sure makes sense 🤷♂️
@@Someone_VIPDeflection for his boo..
Unc need to let me tag in cuz this not LeBron's fault
@@King-rudyyes it literally is lol. He entered himself into the 2010 dunk contest and then backed out when the time came. He has a fragile ego, and because he did it first all these other star players who looked up to him don’t want to do it either
@@King-rudyand he decided to do his little pre-game dunk shows in Miami to garner some attention and hype from the media, Magic Johnson wanted to donate $1 MILLION for Lebron to join the dunk contest, and Lebron still didn’t do it. Like okay we get it, there’s nothing wrong with being a Lebron fan but you do have to hold him accountable
These are facts. It’s akin to Steph never doing the 3pt contest. And it being full of G-League and end of the bench players.
THIS!!!!
😂😂😂 the best shooter ever....sure....that makes sense.
Lebron has never been the best dunker ever. ... he was massive through his prime. He dunked with power and THAT made the crowd hype.
But also...you see curry wasn't in the 3pt contest this year. He's too good to be in the contest.
The comparison falls short
@@kammyr4082 Steph didn’t participate in the contest because he already HAS participated and he won MULTIPLE times. AND….he did a 1 vs 1 three point contest vs. Sabrina Ionescu and he still ended up with the highest score amongst everyone that did the 3 point contest that night
@@kammyr4082 And Lebron during his prime was the best dunker of his generation. He was not just a power dunker, that’s just an excuse people want to give him. I’ve watched him his whole career, he was not a Russell Westbrook just trying to catch a body, he had a combination of power and creativity
How tf is it his fault he dont gaf about a dunk contest.
Stephen A def got leaner and healthier the last 2 years. Good for him
Think that’s kinda wack considering OTHER stars didn’t wanna join the contest as well at that time .
Sure but still doesn't take away what Stephen A. Smith is saying. That was when the biggest star didn't want to do it. It reduced the star power of the contest
@@neutral_10 it does in context considering who it is . Let LeBron win against jobbers , then it’s “too easy”. LeBron lose then it’s just another delusional weapon to use against him . He’s aware enough to understand that.
@anthonyauthentic7934 but it would not affect his legacy. Like I wouldn't say he ruined it but the aura is gone now.
@@neutral_10 But people do use it as a blemish since he didn’t . If he went against jobbers and won . It’d be too easy . If he did years before Aaron / Zach went . Folks would practically try and force him to join that. If he declined, there would be talks about him being scared . There’s little to NO scenario where he authentically safe.
@@anthonyauthentic7934It’s a dunk contest it isn’t even that serious. Jordan participated in the 3 point contest and was horrible in it, yet he’s considered the GOAT
They've finally CORRECTLY placed blame on Bron for something lol
how is it lebron's fault. The best slam dunk contest of alltime was aaron gordan vs zach lavine. Both of them weren't allstars at the time. clearly the slam dunk contest does't need allstars, all it needs is creativity and good dunks.
@@King-rudydid you ever watch Vince carters dunk contest or were you old enough?
@@King-rudy it's not lebrons fault. People in media and youtube just look for reasons to discuss or have opinions on anything involving lebron. Lol funny thing is they cant see what they're doing because they're emotions dont have room for actual logic.
was Lebron in the league at that time?@@caper087
@@caper087yes and that was still better than vinces. So stop it homie lol
Stephn A got him with that last question lol
How do you set the standard that your above the dunk contest because you don’t wanna play in it ? 😂😂😂 bruh media be saying anything and fans be eating it up
Exactly, lol. It wasn't that LeBron thought he was above the dunk contest, it's that he knew he couldn't win it and that people would just criticize him even more because of not winning.
@@Mije101-bz8phNah. He knew he would win it just bc he’s Lebron. The Dunk contest has always been rigged af.
@Mije101-bz8ph who cares if he didn't win it, just go and compete. Jordan lost his first dunk contest. Dominique lost a dunk contest, Dwight Howard lost one. But they went out and put on a show for the fans and the league and competed and at least tried. LeBron not even competing once in the dunk contest is inexcusable.
@@lewalcindor9356 just because others did it don’t mean bron has to do it , he can make his own decisions just like you
@@lastassassin5674 sure, if you're not competitive and don't care about helping the league you don't have to compete in the dunk contest even though the whole world wants to see you. But then stop complaining when we say LeBron ain't built like Jordan and Kobe and Dr. J and Nique and Vince, them dudes were warriors who just competed.
Ja, Ant and Jalen Green should do it next year. Zion too.
Malik monk G!!!!!
That last question had ink stumbling and bumbling his worlds lol
Stephen A. is 100% correct on this one. Lebron apathy towards the slam dunk contest is the cause of its demise.
Lebron apathy towards everything caused the demise of a lot of things. the regular season included
@@vulcanraven9701yeah lets blame bron for that, the dude who in his prime always played 70+ games.
U sound so dumb
And yet the greatest dunk contest ever took place in 2016. So he evidently didn’t destroy anything, you just wanna blame him for everything.
@@stevenirizarry9427 nah. All the dunk contests have had mediocre g leaguers for years. Jordans dunk contest was great
@ 4:46 Look at Perk's face. He's thinking "WTH are you talking about?"🤣
Shannon gets so triggered when people dare speak against his king
Hes being blamed because the dunk contest nowadays is trash. You have a mental illness
You wanted to see Bron there?
Just like Jordansexuals when Pippen exposes him
I don’t think it’s all on him but he did play a major role in it
Stephen A 100% correct on this
No not 100%, more like 50%
@chrismrsickfoo9984 how 50%
@@chrismrsickfoo9984 100% because 2009 Lebron said he was going to be in the slam dunk next year. What happened the next year, he said he won’t be in the slam dunk contest!!! It changed everything!!! The slam dunk contest was never the same after that except Gordon vs Levine battle. Stephen A is 100% right on that one!!!!!
@@beast1160 actually the dunk contest arguably got better after that. Before that you had guys like Gerald green, Fred jones and Nate Robinson winning the dunk contest. After Lebron said that you had guys like Blake griffin, Demar Derozan and Terrence Ross doing dunks we’ve never seen before. We also got John wall, Paul George, Donovan Mitchell and of course the Aaron Gordon and zach lavine. We even got Giannis but his dunks were trash.
Like Jaylen Brown said …these superstars don’t wanna be a meme or embarrassed
Ironic bc his dunk might’ve been the worst of all time lol. Why did he cover his eyes after the dunk? 🤣
And that’s their right! It was ok for MJ to retire for the 2nd time cuz he didn’t wanna ruin his legacy by losing without Scottie or Phil
its cringe to add lebrons name in this to slander him just cause he didn't join the dunk contest who cares
SAS has fallen off ever since he kicked Max off the show.
You don’t care. The world doesn’t center around you. And that’s not the point. Probably many don’t even want to watch Lebron. But why do Karen’s have to leave their Karen’s comments on the internet? You don’t define who cares and who doesn’t, who speaks and who doesn’t. No one cares about you either. So you’re gonna shut your mouth permanently, right, Karen?
The league cares, the dunk contest was one of the events that made the NBA popular after the league was going broke in the 1970s. Dr. J and Dominique and MJ and Kobe and Vince Carter all held the dunk contest down, yet the biggest, most athletic star of the last 20 years can't even compete once in it?
@@lewalcindor9356How is it Lebrons fault? If he did it what makes you think it would be great? If he sucked at it, they would blame him and say since he participated it has been garbage.
@weightpushweight5769 why would he suck at it? Lol yall are so scared for him. The fans all wanted to see him compete, yall make it way more complicated than it is.
Bro, BRENT FREAKING BARRY was NEVER considered even a regular dunker and still did it. How can you excuse LeBron for not doing it, saying he never wanted to do it, when he literally said he was gonna do it in 09, then backed out?
Scared of losing classic LeBron. I wouldn’t put it past him once he retires to say he regrets not participating especially with how all star weekend is now
@DirtySouth-om7zj everybody followed the competitiveness of the face of a generation, so if Magic, Larry, MJ, and Kobe wanted to compete and LeBron didn't, then who were the athletes following then? Shannon making excuses as usual
Why Shannon looking like that I’m a huge Bron fan and I agree with Perk/SAS. Bron knew he should have participated his rookie year or that year he announced to everyone after Dwight won his championship that he was going to be in next year’s contest but backed out.
Lebron has never been a creative dunk contest type of dunker
He actually said this but people do not listen. He is too stiff to lean in the air certain ways.
So how do they have film of him doing crazy dunks pre game? He just don’t wanna do the dunk contest. Nobody cares SAS is making people care
They be giving perk the best mics of all time. I hear this man breathing every day
The bottom line is he should have just did it for the fans period end of story 💯
Nah he wasnt good at flashy dunks. Some of the best dunk contests were with fringe all stars.
So they could dump on it SMH
Dominique wasn't flashy either just power @@jaden5843
@@jaden5843Jorden did the three point contest and only scored 9 points. So what ? At least give it a try
@cjt9264 because there are no judges in the 3 point contest which means he wouldn't have an unfair advantage and the NBA won't be on that BS.
It fell when the robbed Aaron Gordon twice
Hahahaha uncs Anwser studdering over everything 🤣
Forgot Nate Robinson , Dwight Howard
They got Shannon on this one. Had him Moonwalking like the other MJ 😂
What about Jamario Moon the birthday cupcake dunk? Blowing it out thos were the good old days
Nice question SAS. You got Shay Shay!
Stuttering like that is crazy 🤣🤣🤣
That rant was classic lol
“toscano-Anderson … you don’t even do that in practice “
😂😂😂😂
Especially coming from some one who gets hurt getting out of bed in the morning.He sprains his ankle shooting a jump shot i rest my case.
I agree with Stephen on this. Shannon has to hold this "L". LeBron devalued the dunk contest and the rest of the league followed his lead. And I'm a big LeBron fan but that doesn't mean that this ain't true.
Draft players from across the country not in NBA
This was a good conversation they cut it short but ima Bron fan he should have did it wen he was young like Kobe 03 04 05 06 he should have did it
Kobe clapped his hands when going against Lebron in the All Star and he passed the ball. There goes Lebron's career 😂 and Kobe knew.
Ridiculous. That's saying all the times it happened in actual games doesn't count.
SAS is correct 😢
Do a nationwide tryout, best dunkers, even international. Let's see who got skills
Facts!
Johnathan Kuminga , Kj Martin !!!!! Nice Dunkers Too!!!
Toxic conversation 😤
He even said it one year on the side line that he was going to participate. As a matter of fact I think Cheryl Miller had ask him that. I can even tell you what he had on. He had on some shades & a yellow sweater...
Bron ducking the dunk contest, even the one he promised to be in, made it okay for other stars to do so.
I remember that I thought it would be him vs Nate in dunk contest
Nobody mentions how back in 2009 Lebron announced he was going to do the dunk contest then never did it lol. RUclips his announcement lol
Stephen A got him on that last one 😂😂😂
To blame Lebron James make no sense - When Aaron Gordon didn't win the Dunk Contest that was really when you can say that the Dunk Contest wasn't the same.
Ja Morant has said if they raised the prize money to $1,000,000 he would do it
At this point, what other kind of dunks can you do other than like eating half a Chipotle bowl midair and then catching an alley oop or something? 😂😂 The dunk contest used to be awesome, and now it's just trash. They need to just get rid of it.
Stephen A. Ate unk on this one . Had him speechless on the TE question my hands… my hands what 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Jordan and Nique was the greatest and most anticipated dunk contest ever because their were other great donkeys who competed in the 8 man field abs every round was exciting.......Gordon and Lavine contest got exciting during the final round
Like.. that's a stretch.. I get his point. I don't think he's solely responsible, however he shouldn't have teased at doing it. There were times where he told people he was going to do it the following year, then never did
It’s not about the dunk contest. The 90s had a culture. The 2000s had a culture. What are aspects of the culture now? Jumping ship to stack teams, not caring about fans or regular season, getting yours and not putting much into defense, crying and whining every play if they get brushed on the shirt, throwing team and others under the bus, massively overpaying people to the point that players think they’re above performing their basic job duties, disappearance of team pride and no more loyalty to a franchise and its fans, the look-at-me culture with pretentious tweets and mind games, etc. all these things were in large part due to Lebron. A lot of these kids and incoming players grew up watching Lebron and that is the example they had. The sorry nature of the dunk contest is just a product of the culture Lebron created.
@@iwishiwasthomasshelby you went way off, the culture now is to get your money, and get some rings. The dunk contest was competitive a few years ago, it’s not his fault these new players can’t create great dunks.
Shannon you lost this one 😂😂😂😂
Steven A suffering from Bron diorreah 😂
Steph v Sabrina was the best moment of the AS. If that's not a clue.
Facts
He said he was gonna do it
I agree!!! 100%!!!!!!! Facts!!!!!!!
Stars competing doesn't correlate with the quality of dunks. Pretty much everything that impressive was done by Gordon and Lavine
Also, both Gordon and Morant have both publicly said they won't do it because of the poor judging
I'd argue that adding stars is counter-productive. You want MORE eyes on a bad product? I guess any publicity is good publicity?
Also, Gordon and Zach Lavine weren't Allstars yet had a great performance. So clearly we don't need stars. We just need creative dunkers.
5:04 not true at all he teased entering multiple times and if he didn’t want to he shouldn’t have teased it
Multiple stars have done it since he said no 😂
I don’t think we even got be so creative with the contest either just to make it good again…just do the same cool dunks like windmill, 360, under the leg all those but throw it down with authority those classic dunks will still always be the best in my book and the more you throw it down I bet you finna get a 50 every time rather than trying to play circus because we haven’t seen a specific dunk 🙄 like come on guys all star weekend is a joke just like the pro bowl. 🤷♂️
Bron is 100% to blame for the lack of big names participating in the dunk contest... Jordan, Kobe, Dominique, Vince, so on and so forth competed... Was Kobe not a power dunker? Was Shawn Kemp not a power dunker? Is PG not a power dunker? No excuse for Bron to not participate other than he was scared to lose... imagine your goat being scared to compete 🤦♂
Look at the 3pt contest... Bird, Steph, Dame, Klay, Ray Allen, Peja, Dirk, Kyrie, KAT, so many great shooters come out and compete in that... explain why Zion, Ja, Bron, and Westbrook… some of the best dunkers ever… NEVER competed...
So why don't big names players look at MJ or Kobe or Vince as a reason to join? Why does it have to begin and end with LeBron?
@@jaamal6369 Bron was the first big name to tease doing it and then consistently back out. Bron’s easily the biggest name in the sport and has been for over a decade at this point… he’s one of the best dunkers in history… He’s so many people’s goat… why does it begin and end with Bron? Because he was the first to have as big a platform as he does and not accomplish what so many fans wish he would’ve. Why does it end with Bron? It doesn’t 😂 I guess that’s the point… it SHOULDVE ended with Bron. All it would’ve taken was Bron participating ONCE in his 20+ year career. He didn’t have the chops though I guess 😂🤷🏽♂️
The good ol' days, go look at the tape and see the dunks that were getting 50s back then, you wouldn't give them 50's in now, I'm 40 and the best dunks I ever seen in a dunk context all belong to a guy who didn't win and was not an AllStar, just saying.
is true 🤷🏾♂️
No it's not
Mac had a cool dunk to win and Jaylen nice tribute to that guy who died. Bad take 3:35
Lebron has been under a microscope for half of his life. Being criticized by people every single day of his life on television since high school. Gotta salute Lebron for taking all these bullets
they acting like Lebron owns the league.
@@King-rudyhe’s the face of the league bro and has been for years. He sets the standard
@@kevothegoat9891 but blaming the slam dunk contest on him is ridiculous. Lavine vs gordan (both weren't all stars) was the best dunk contest of alltime. Why weren't we blaming Lebron for the Lavine vs Gordon dunk contest? because that would be crazy. Star power doesn't make the dunk contest good. Exciting dunks and creativity is what made the dunk contest good.
Not even noon and you 🍆 eatin… u know he’s married right?
@@King-rudyso does he😂
The truth is, I don't care that nowadays they play boring, the NBA no longer interests me. The only thing that seems sad to me is that Lebron is still in the NBA because he really belongs to the elite of 2000 and not to the garbage that exists today. And by being in the NBA today his legacy is being destroyed. The same by chris paul.
Wild asf , they said its LeBrons fault 😂😂
I keep saying the nba need to allow dunkers from outside the league too participate in the contest if anything let NBA players sponsor them because if stars won’t do it then it’s gonna continue to be mid
& even if the stars do participate they should definitely hire these internet guys for ideas
Unc was stumped on that last question! Rightfully so! gotta stop caping for Bron and hold him accountable
"Stategical"? What? Dunk contest does not move Lebron? He did it in high-school. It's part of the game. Give it up, Unc. No rebuttal.
UNC stuttering is the real answer
The 10 contests after Lebron got drafted.....
2004 Jason Richardson and Fred Jones
2005 J.R Smith and Josh Smith
2006 Iguodala and Nate Robinson
2007 Gerald Green and Dwight Howard
2008 Gerald Green and Dwight Howard
2009 Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson
2010 Demar Derozan and Nate Robinison
2011 Blake Griffin and Demar Derozan
2012 Paul George and Jeremy Evans
2013 Terrence Ross and Gerald Green
The 10 contests before Lebron got drafted.....
2002 Steve Francis and Jason Richardson
2001 Deshawn Stevenson and Desmond Mason
2000 Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady
1997 Kobe Bryant and Michael Finley
1996 Brent Barry and Jerry Stackhouse
1995 Harold Minor and J.R. Rider
1994 Shawn Kemp and J.R. Rider
1993 Harold Minor and Kenny Smith
1992 Larry Johnson and Shawn Kemp
1991 Shawn Kemp and Dee Brown
Neither list has very many superstars, and the list of contestants I did not put here is pretty equally impressive/unimpressive. Go look at the top 25 or so players of the 90's and see how many of them competed in the dunk contest. Spoiler alert..... It's not many.
This is a joke…when did MJ compete? He did three years BEFORE he had any playoff success and did it to sell shoes
Lebron was a different type of dunker, and even Aaron Gordan said it takes a lot of time cuz you thinking of dunks to do when you could be doing other things… in my opinion Bron chose team over dunk contest and to blame him saying everyone else followed him? Fukoff
He participated in the slam dunk contest from 87 88 and 89 he won twice kobe did it Vince jrich Desmond ray Allen was in it kemp Dee brown Amare
What we should do. Take the all stars and have them face the all stars if another country. Have them face the all stars of the g league Idk something
Every year, you can count on a commentator saying "LeBron could have done that in the dunk contest" after his first or second dunk of the night.
Thats how i felt for a long time. He is the reason why the slam dunk is trash today. He was the first superstar that didnt want to be in slam dunk and after that no super start wanted any part of it.
Every year same topic
It needs to be talked about, but it's exhausting because we know it won't change. They ask the players involved in the All-star Weekend and dunk contest and they still can't answer how to improve.
SA never played
Chubby Stephen A is hilarious 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Steven A smokes Shannon 😅
First time in my life i agreed with something Perk said. EVER
What exactly you agree with? Is it because he spoke out about Lebron?
Shannon looking like all the lebron fans 😂😂😂
Also they need to cut this jumping over people out of the dunk contest.. even the fans were booing.. they need more “stars” and creativity
I think the dunk contest is something players should’ve participated in their first 3-4 years in the league. Lebron was so concerned of his image he was not gonna do anything to have the media talking about it
Shannon gave excuses at the end of those segment, plain and simple. What a hypocrite.
Only so many things you can do to dunk the ball , it’s all been done
It died when Gordon got robbed and he decided to never go again lol
only seen paul george once
They are running out of things to talk about.. a dunk contest?
it's almost like the all star weekend just happened. "they run out of things to talk about that happened recently" 😂😂
Have we forgotten Lebron literally himself said on national television “I’m throwing my name in the hat for the dunk contest next year.”
Unc loss this one, but it’s ok
From 1985-1997 is 12 years. The NBA is 77 years old. 12 years is about 15% of the entire life of the league. 15% is an era, not a tradition. Additionally, I am not sure how LeBron is responsible for the years 1998-2002 when he wasn't in the league.
No dunk contest didn’t exist before 84
Look at his years in the nba from 04-13 years specially when he was in Miami once he said no that set the standard for big time players to not participate like ja Anthony Edwards booker mitchell Tatum
when did Dr J dunk from the free throw line?@@alexcastvix8823
I side with Lebron most of the times because I hate all the unnecessary hate he has been getting. But yes him not participating in the dunk contest even just once just shows he doesn't have the competitive drive like the other greats have especially like Jordan and Kobe. And that's what we all love to see, COMPETITION.
It would be no competition is what y'all don't seem to get because it would rigged like a mf in his favor. In other words...he would've won bc it's him and not because of his dunks.
Jordan and Kobe's were also before Vince Carter meaning they didn't have to be that creative or needed to.
as much as i would love to blame Bron for something , this aint it 😂😂
All these comedians roasting UNC obviously don't watch or listen to all of his content cause he gives out plenty of material to make actual jokes instead of insulting him with thinly veiled accusations
Has the programs success affected his mental stability? Just a thought 💭
The nba all star game is just a symptom of the nba... No defense, no physicality, just like the wnba girly Sissys taking easy shots and getting easy shots because the game has been destroyed since about 07'. Any stat, record, ring or "achievement" since about 09' is worthless and not to be taken seriously. Facts!
@@lilsancho6760 Nah, Try again.