Stephen A. Smith: The Dunk Contest Died On LeBron James’ Watch
For more than a decade, LeBron chose preservation over participation.
The NBA wrapped All-Star Weekend 2026 and the dunk contest Saturday felt more like a G-League showcase than a marquee event.
Fans scrolling Sunday night were asking the same question: who are these guys?
Jase Richardson. Keshad Johnson. Carter Bryant. Jaxson "The Mascot Assailant" Hayes.
Not faces of the league. Not franchise cornerstones. Not ratings movers.
By Monday morning, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had seen enough. And he stopped dodging who he believes is responsible for the event’s decline.
LeBron Raymone James.
Los Angeles, CA - March 03: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers greets ESPNs Stephen A. Smith prior to a NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 3, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
"I’m going to blame LeBron James," Smith said on First Take.
"Now, I’ve sat here for months and I’ve applauded his greatness and all the things he had done and he has meant to the NBA, but I’ve said it and I’m going to be very consistent … The person who really is the provocateur to ruin the slam dunk contest is him.
"… He was a superstar who put on a dunk contest every night in the layup line, particularly when he knew there was momentum swelling for him to participate, and he never did," Smith continued. "He even teased that he was going to participate one year."
For years, the league marketed LeBron as a once-in-a-generation athlete.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena on November 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
From 2006 through 2013, he won four MVPs and became the NBA’s central draw. He never entered the dunk contest. Not once in 22 All-Star selections.
READ: The Highs And (Very Low) Lows Of NBA All-Star 2026
Michael Jordan entered twice and won twice. Kobe Bryant won it at 19. Dwight Howard’s 2008 performance pushed All-Star Saturday ratings back above 8 million viewers. In the mid-2000s, the broadcast regularly topped 8 million, peaking above 9 million in 2003.
By the mid-2010s, audiences had fallen to around 6 million. In recent years, the dunk contest has hovered around or below 5 million.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 06: Stephen A. Smith (C) attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on March 06, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
Star participation dropped with the ratings. Since 2014, no reigning MVP has entered the contest.
From 2011 through 2018, LeBron reached eight straight NBA Finals and was the league’s biggest draw.
One appearance in his prime would have reset the ceremonies.
He never gave it. For more than a decade, LeBron chose preservation over participation.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela