Jalen Johnson made a bold declaration that could save All-Star Weekend

Jalen Johnson made a bold declaration at All-Star Weekend this year: he “will be in the dunk contest one day.” This is quite refreshing to hear. 

After Saturday night’s event, fans across the NBA have lamented the dunk contest’s fall from grace. The days of MVP-caliber entrants to the contest, such as Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, and Dominique Wilkins, are long gone. 

This year, the list of participants included two rookies, one sophomore, and Jaxon Hayes. Carter Bryant, one of the rookies selected, is best known for missing his dunks. Keshad Johnson, this year’s winner, has played a grand total of 257 minutes over his 1.5-season career. 

The casual fan likely had never heard of Johnson before this event. Even though his performance was not bad per se, the lack of star power has led fans to tune out what used to be one of the most entertaining events in sports.

Johnson could start a movement, but he must succeed

There are a few reasons why stars don’t participate in the dunk contest, and the most significant was demonstrated live on air by Jase Richardson. While skying up for a baseline 360 jam, Richardson slammed the ball into the side of the backboard, causing the rook to lose balance and slam his head on the floor. Richardson quickly popped off the ground after the video ended, but he could have been seriously injured.

Star players make eight figures nowadays. Consequently, it is objectively a foolish career decision to risk your health to achieve dunk contest glory. 

But Richardson’s fall didn’t just highlight the risk of injury; the risk of embarrassment is equally threatening for star players. The entire NBA fandom will pay attention to the dunk contest. If you fail to impress, you may never escape the slander that follows.

Take Jalen Brown as an example. Fresh off an All-NBA season,nBrown finished in second place in the 2024 event, only losing to Mac McClung (the most electric dunker alive). However, nobody remembers that Brown finished in second place; they remember that he dunked over the 5’7 streamer Kai Cenat, who was seated. He continues to be clowned online for this decision, despite the fact that we really should be thanking him for being a star who wants to participate in the first place.

If Johnson wants to compete, he will almost certainly receive an invitation from the NBA. After all, he is a high-flying dunker and a superstar. His inclusion could instantly solve the waning interest in the event.

But Johnson must succeed for this gamble to work. If he does not win, fans will be quick to judge him for losing, and we will be back at square one. He has a year to prepare – keep an eye out for some extra flair on Johnson’s transition dunks moving forward.