Judge Kobe and Judge Vince?
A slap in the face to fans
It was announced today that five former dunk champs will be judges in this year’s flight-fest: Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter.
Wait, what? Kobe and Vince? As judges in the dunk contest? This is a cruel, terrible joke, right?
Afraid not. It seems that while these guys may be too cool to dunk, they have no issue judging those without enough superstar swag to shun the mid-season event. No wonder the contest has turned to crap.
And it’s not like these guys are geezers either; while Kobe’s dunk title (in 1997) wasn’t exactly the stuff of legend, he still gets up and throws down with the best of them (case in point: the two-handed 360 and Jordan-esque leaner in Washington against the Wiz this weekend.) As for Vince, he may no longer be Half-Man Half-Amazing, but he’s still pretty fucking amazing when he decides to take off.
Here’s what I don’t get: The NBA can force its players to alter the way they dress; it can get them to only address the referees after having politely raised their hands like good students; and might even start telling them which clubs to hit after the game; but can’t get its biggest stars to participate in what used to be one of the League’s markee events.
Something doesn’t add up here. As far as I know, no one has ever gotten hurt during the dunk contest (in fact, the only person I can recall seeing get hurt while dunking is Tony Allen), and a superstar of Kobe and Vince’s caliber participating in the dunk contest would benefit both the League and the fans greatly.
While I understand that some of these guys don’t want to have the label of “just a dunker” attached to them, and some are genuinely afraid of being shown up on such a big stage, shouldn’t the interests of the League and its fans come before the fragile egos of the players? Call me crazy.
46 Responses to “Judge Kobe and Judge Vince?”
Feb.6 at 12:21 am
Tim Dennis says:
Who Is actually in the dunk comp by the way.. first
Feb.6 at 12:21 am
Seth says:
Great points. I think it would just take one player to sign up for everyone to get back into it. Like if Lebron suddenly decided he wanted to do it, then we might get to see JRich and Kobe back in action.
Feb.6 at 12:24 am
Seth says:
i think its dwight howard, gerald green, tyrus thomas, and nate
Feb.6 at 12:26 am
Tim Dennis says:
Well If the League had a voting to see the best dunkers go at it on the allstar weekend then they would have a reason to say to players that they need to compete, i just saw the list
Nate, Gerald Green, Dwight Howard and Tyrus Thomas.
The Last 2 are just there to make the numbers up and have no chance of winning G.Green Will prob Take it out he is amazing
Feb.6 at 12:31 am
Tim Dennis says:
If James White was “INVITED” the contest would be officially closed down. under the legs dunk from the free throw line would just shut it down
Feb.6 at 12:38 am
Patrick says:
great point.
Feb.6 at 12:39 am
Lakerfan says:
It would help if the league abolishes their rule that participants must be under 23 years of age.. it would also help if the league and media stops their agenda of saying “players these days only care about dunking and showing off”.. superstars avoid the contest because they have an image to protect. I would bet that’s why LeBron hasn’t participated in the dunk contest, but has in the skills contest to show that he is not about showing off.
Feb.6 at 12:42 am
KLT says:
I wanna see past winner like VC, & lebron, D Wade and Kobe dunk….VC would beat ‘em all.
Feb.6 at 1:41 am
Chief says:
Yeah James White is Flight!
Anyways it seems that the players don’t show the desire to be the best Dunker every year. Or else they would rush to sign up for this instead of leaving us with Nate.
Feb.6 at 1:45 am
Max Airington says:
Stern just wants to make these guys watch firsthand what the Dunk Contest has turned into since they won’t enter. Maybe after Nate Rob’s 15th attempt, Vince will just take the ball from him and show how it’s done.
Feb.6 at 3:16 am
SwingMan says:
Nate Robinson’s in the contest again? Better mark the wrap-up as “TBD”. What a joke…..
Feb.6 at 4:19 am
koeitk5 says:
Freakin Nate Robinson rob the trophy last year, he got it only because the judges respect Spud Webb.
Feb.6 at 5:00 am
jay n says:
With Nate competing again if you are recording the contest better set your tape for a few hours longer than you think. might not be over til march.
Feb.6 at 5:37 am
Eric says:
The title is NBA “All-Star” weekend. I believe only the all-stars should be able to attend the activities. It’s not called NBA “Scrub” weekend.
Feb.6 at 7:08 am
Boyd says:
Yes, they are scrubbers. (except Dwight - I know he’s good, but 15 and 12? He’s athletic as hell and everything, but he’s somewhere between Amare and Darius Miles. Rony Seikaly could get 15 and 12 back in the day. Are we really so starved for a decent pivot that 15 and 12 is somehow comparable to Wilt? Shag got 23 and 13 AS A ROOKIE)
Feb.6 at 7:25 am
Ben says:
But Shaq played 3 years of college…and right now the game is more athletic then 92!
The first years in the league, Shaq overpower´d his opponents and had one move - the dunk… I think right now it´s harder to get in the L and proof you can play right on…
Feb.6 at 9:03 am
R7 says:
four former dunk champs?
who didn’t win 1??
the doc??
Feb.6 at 11:50 am
Boyd says:
Ben, WHAT PLANET ARE YOU ON?!? Shaq had to fight Hakeem, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, not to mention Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo for his 23 and 13 (As well as the likes of Barkley and Rodman at the 4.) Who the HELL does Dwight, 6′11 265 battle for his numbers? A 35 year old Shaq? A 40 year old mount Mutombo? SHAWN F*CKING MARION? Shaq Came into the L and had to scrap with arguably some of the best centers that ever played, (if Kareem, Wilt and B-Russ are the others.) Also R7 has got a point. Doc won it in the ABA in ‘76 so that makes 5 former champs.
Feb.6 at 11:59 am
Marcel Mutoni says:
fixed. it’s five. you’ll have to excuse me. i can’t count.
Feb.6 at 1:14 pm
dez says:
Ego has a lot to do with superstars no longer competing in these dunk contests. the difference now is, we’re always seeing crazy dunks happen in all the And1 mixtapes and college dunk contests. So if Kobe/Vince miss a dunk that we’ve seen Air Up There throw down, then suddenly he’s a chump.
Plus, whats the incentive? More money? Maybe if you were earning the league min, you would go for it. Deshawn Stevenson should enter just to try to get some money back after getting robbed by his own teammate.
Feb.6 at 1:44 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
They should just kill the dunk contest again. I mean, back in the day with Jordan and Nique, and even recently with Vince, you could believe that the winner was the best dunker in the L. Does ANYONE think that this year’s winner could possibly be the League’s best dunker? Without guys like Kobe and Vince, the dunk contest is completely irrelevant.
Feb.6 at 1:58 pm
Mike says:
Maybe Kobe and VC will be wearing button up suits and rip them off right before the competition and join in. Not to sure Kobe could still get down, but VC would easily take this thing over. The thing that pisses me off is that in an interview with Marv Albert at the start of the season, Carter said he was seriously considering joining the contest again since it was in Veags.
Feb.6 at 2:00 pm
albie1kenobi says:
dez and Russ are so on point, and so is mutoni. image is everything. the superstars don’t want to put their rep on the line, the league can’t put their stars in, so now this thing becomes irrelevant. it’s a lose-lose-lose situation.
Feb.6 at 2:16 pm
mutoni says:
i just read somewhere that kobe didn’t even know he’d been named a judge when asked about it last night. the nba is awesome!
Feb.6 at 2:34 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
you’re crazy
Feb.6 at 4:11 pm
jbn74sb says:
Players like Vince, Kobe, and LeBron have nothing to gain by competing in the dunk contest. Although Bron is a bit of a punk for not having done at least one.
Feb.6 at 4:44 pm
Jon says:
Everyone should stop dissing Nate for his attempts, and Kobe and Vince for being judges… we should all be thankful actually… thankful that Chris Anderson isn’t in any of those spots!
Feb.6 at 4:58 pm
WeS says:
I really dont think the judges should be other current NBA players for one. Two, Kobe and Vince could still be formidable- MJ might surprise us, I wouldnt put it past him to dunk somebody in a suit. And Three, Gerald Green will win easily.
Feb.6 at 6:01 pm
illydiva says:
After Iggy was robbed last year, the rules should change and Nate shouldn’t even be allowed to enter. 21 tries to do 1 dunk?! The contest is shit! I hear there’s a 2-minute limit this year. Gee! Shit I tell you!
Feb.6 at 6:45 pm
abelp says:
vince is the best dunker ever…seeing him again in the contest would be bananas..hed win it easy…
Feb.6 at 8:17 pm
hollywud says:
why is nate in it again and jr smith isnt? jr cud easily win and hoo wants to see nate miss 10 times before actually making a dunk. FUCK THE LEAGUE!! VC is pussy
Feb.6 at 8:37 pm
Mike says:
How are they still letting thomas in after what he said. That was one of the stupidest comments ive ever read. Does he not realize that he’s in the NBA and dumb quotes like that get posted all over the media?
Feb.6 at 8:39 pm
albie1kenobi says:
I thought this is fantastic, even the participant think the even sucks (from espn.com):
The Chicago Bulls fined forward Tyrus Thomas $10,000 on Tuesday, one day after the rookie said he only was interested in the money for the NBA’s slam dunk contest…
“I’m just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day.”
When asked if being around some of the game’s greats could be beneficial for a rookie, he responded, “I’m just into the free money. That’s it. I’ll just do whatever when I get out there.”
NBA. it’s FAAAAAAAAANNNNTASTIC.
Feb.6 at 9:28 pm
Harlem_World says:
I had zero interest in the dunk competition till TT made that comment. FINALLY someone stands up to tell the truth. LOL. When have you ever heard of people tuning in to watch a dunk competition on the slight chance they might see one of the judges do something out of disgust of what is to be on show? Dwight Howard? Tim Thomas? This is just ridiculous. Either kill it altogether and bring in a one on one competition OR have the very best from the NBDL battle it out for a couple 10 day contracts in the L. Want to bet they’d take that seriously?
Feb.6 at 10:27 pm
Drolfe says:
‘..and some are genuinely afraid of being shown up on such a big stage..’
I believe this is a huge reason. No way Kobe and Vince could compete with people like Josh Smith today. This year doesnt count, either of the previous three mentioned would kill this year. But Kobe and Vince just dont get up like they used to, and probably dont have any of the creativity of these younger cats.
I for one am glad Vince only competed one year. He would only be tarnishing his legend if he tried to do it again.
Feb.7 at 12:00 am
James says:
it is called the sprite rising stars dunk contest. kobe and vince are established superstars
Feb.7 at 5:27 am
Larsylad says:
Thank you Marcel. I feel that. Besides, it’s not like Kobe ever worries about what people think so what’s his beef with this one? (Kobe’s my man but still…)
Feb.7 at 3:47 pm
DEVILb0y says:
wheres jr smith?! and corey maggete? those guys can jam with the best of them and they haven’t won a dunk title yet…and why the hell would they put dwight howard in the contest, didnt they learn from the past big men dont win these contests(e.g.kemp,amare.woolridge, chambers,etc…)
Feb.7 at 3:51 pm
DEVILb0y says:
nothing against mamba but the way he’s throwing it down these ,is like watching jordan throw it down when he was playin with the wiz…he doesnt seem to have the elevation he used to have..
Feb.7 at 8:29 pm
Big Sia says:
Drolfe, to say Vince doesn’t have the creativity or hops anymore is retarded. Name the 5 best nba plays in the last 2 years. VC on zo. VC orlando reverse pump ally. VC’s 3 360 layups. These are all easy candidates, and if i was a betting man i would wager VC could still show us something that has never been seen Also, about the article. I agree its a shame Kobe and VC aren’t in the actual contest, but blaming THEM is completely unfair. There’s a rule for gods sake! Unless they drink some age potion, you gotta be under 23 to compete. The NBA, David Stern, and all their wack-ass policies should be to blame, this being one of them.
Feb.8 at 5:38 pm
DEVILb0y says:
Fuck it they should get all the best dunkers in the L and give them one dunk each during the elims two in thee semis and 3 in the finals, i dont care if it lasts 2 hours at least it’l be worth watching…
Feb.10 at 4:58 am
ziad bastami says:
the league is scrwed! ok! it is trying to market always new players
!i wonder, how the legacy of lebron will go without winning this tittel? he?
for the issue of would win it if they join….easy vince!
see the dunk of last year over Mr. dunk j. smith, i called it the lesson! vc for ever, the best dunker in the game, you hurd!
Feb.10 at 3:42 pm
Callidac D says:
yo!sons i think on tha real though kobe is a better player than vince,kobe can just straight ball and thats a fact….but props to vince one of the greastest dunkers ever.
Feb.15 at 6:17 pm
dwade4mvp says:
They should bring in guys from the d-league and from streetball like Air Up There, he woudd just throw down some insane stuff like that 720.
Feb.16 at 2:59 am
gobulls says:
the under 23 rule is not to blame… who honestly believes that the nba wouldnt want carter in the contest or would say “sorry vince, nate robinson, tyrus thomas, and dwight howard earned those spots” as for kobe… am i really the only one who thinks his victory was, perhaps along with brent barry and nate robinsons, the least impressive dunk contest victory every? as average as the last few years have been kobe’s dunk contest wasnt nearly as good as des mason’s, jason richardsons, or josh smiths.
Nov.20 at 8:50 pm
bruce says:
Vince is the best ever hands down.