The NBA Dunk Contest Is Officially DEAD: Draymond Green Exposes the Harsh Truth About Why Stars Refuse to Participate And How Non NBA Players Took Over the League’s Biggest Show
The NBA Dunk Contest Is Falling Apart And Draymond Green Just Exposed the REAL Reason Stars Want Nothing To Do With It
The Slam Dunk Contest was once the most electrifying spectacle in basketball, the event that could turn a quiet February weekend into a global cultural moment. For decades, superstars lined up for their shot at immortality. Michael Jordan soared from the free throw line. Vince Carter unleashed dunks the world had never seen. Kobe Bryant, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo once stepped onto that stage with pride. But in 2025, the contest looks nothing like the event fans grew up with. Instead of NBA icons, fans now watch G League players and fringe roster guys compete for attention while the real stars sit courtside, fully clothed, scrolling their phones.
And according to Draymond Green, it’s not an accident.
It’s not a coincidence.
It’s not a natural evolution of the game.
It’s a direct result of the NBA’s biggest names refusing to step up and the league allowing non-NBA players to dominate an NBA branded event. Green, never one to hold back, revealed exactly why he no longer cares about the Dunk Contest, why fans shouldn’t expect top players to come back, and why the entire event is collapsing from the inside out.
The Rise And Fall Of Basketball’s Most Iconic Event
There was a time when the Dunk Contest was considered the ultimate stage for creativity, athleticism, and showmanship. Even players who weren’t known as megastars participated because it was a badge of honor. Winning the Dunk Contest meant your name would be etched into NBA history forever. It meant you were a showman. It meant you had charisma and talent beyond the traditional blueprint of NBA stardom.
But as the years passed, the event slowly shifted. Superstars became more guarded with their image, their health, and their reputations. The sport grew more analytical. The All Star Weekend grew more corporate. The social media era added pressure, magnifying every attempt, every miss, and every failure. NBA stars realized something uncomfortable: competing in the Dunk Contest was no longer worth the risk. Not the risk of injury the risk of embarrassment.
Instead, unknown players emerged to steal the spotlight. Mac McClung, a high flying guard who has electrified crowds for three years, won the contest multiple times without even being on an NBA roster. Fans were impressed. The league was grateful. But Draymond Green saw something deeper something concerning and he decided to speak about it openly.
When asked about the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest, Green didn’t offer the diplomatic or PR friendly answer most players give. He didn’t say “I’m excited.” He didn’t pretend the contest still holds prestige.
He told the truth.
A brutal truth.
Draymond Green Calls Out NBA Stars: “The Guys Who Should Be Doing It Just Haven’t Done It”
On his podcast, Green broke down exactly why he no longer expects the Dunk Contest to ever return to its former glory. And it has nothing to do with athleticism or a lack of creativity. According to him, the root problem is that the players who are supposed to be the faces of the league don’t want to compete.
“It just hasn’t been great,” Green said with complete honesty. “The guys who’s supposed to be in there haven’t been great. The great guys that’s supposed to be in, they haven’t… they just haven’t done it.”
He’s talking about the LeBrons, the Ja Morants, the Anthony Edwardses, the Zion Williamsons, the Jalen Greens players who have the physical gifts and the star power to revive the contest instantly. But they don’t participate. They’ve chosen not to, and because of that, the contest has become a showcase for role players, G Leaguers, and fringe talents fighting for a spotlight that top stars no longer want.
This is the heart of the problem.
Fans want to see the biggest names.
Sponsors want the biggest names.
The NBA wants the biggest names.
But the biggest names want nothing to do with the contest anymore, and Green believes that has completely devalued the event.
What shocked him even more, however, was the fact that some of these participants aren’t even NBA players.
“You got guys in there that’s not in the NBA,” Green said with disbelief. “It’s crazy. I worked this hard to be an All Star, and you could just be in a dunk contest and not be on an NBA contract.”
To Draymond, it feels disrespectful.
To fans, it feels confusing.
To the league, it feels like desperation.
And to Mac McClung who keeps winning it’s simply opportunity.
If Non NBA Dunkers Are Allowed… Why Not Go All In?
Draymond Green didn’t stop at criticizing the lack of NBA star participation. He proposed a solution a radical one.
“We might as well go get, like, those guys that be doing all those crazy a s dunks,” he said. “So yeah… I’m not too stoked about it.”
He’s referring to the professional dunkers the viral sensations who pull off dunks that seem physically impossible. They travel the world, compete on underground circuits, jump over cars, leap over seven-foot obstacles, spin mid air, hold props, toss balls between LED drones you name it. Their dunks break social media. Their creativity is unmatched. They specialize in dunks the way NBA players specialize in footwork, shooting, or conditioning.
The problem? Professional dunkers are TOO good.
Two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson explained this dilemma earlier in the year. He admitted that pro dunkers have raised the bar so high that fans now expect NBA players to perform at that same level. And that expectation is completely unrealistic.
“These guys are doing some amazing things,” Richardson said. “They are doing dunks I’ve never seen or never try or even attempt to try to do. I think it’s an unrealistic expectation for NBA players.”
Richardson pointed out something important: NBA players practice shooting, defense, footwork, conditioning, and team strategy. They don’t spend hours perfecting circus style dunks the way professional dunkers do. It’s not their priority. It’s not their expertise. And it’s definitely not worth risking their careers.
Fans want NBA players to pull off impossible aerial stunts but most NBA players simply can’t. And even those who can don’t want to risk looking inferior to professional dunkers who specialize in that craft.
So Draymond’s solution isn’t just a joke it’s logical.
If the contest is no longer an NBA only event…
Why not make it the greatest dunking showcase on earth?
But that comes with a challenge:
Would fans accept the Dunk Contest as a global dunk show?
Or do they want NBA superstars no matter the quality?
Right now, the answer seems unclear. And because of that uncertainty, the event continues to lose significance.
The All Star Weekend Crisis: When the 3 Point Contest Becomes More Popular Than the Dunk Contest
For decades, the Slam Dunk Contest was the centerpiece of All Star Weekend. It was the grand finale. The main event. The show stopper. The game itself often felt secondary. But in 2025? The 3 Point Contest has officially taken the throne.
Think about that for a moment.
The 3 Point Contest is now more exciting than the Dunk Contest.
This shift has happened for several reasons:
Superstars actually participate in the 3 Point Contest.
It requires no props, practice, or embarrassing misses.
Its format is fast paced, competitive, and clean.
It doesn’t involve subjective scoring from judges.
Fans love it because it rewards skill, precision, and nerves. The dunk contest used to promise unpredictability and viral highlights. Now it promises frustration, awkwardness, and disappointment.
Draymond Green’s criticism reflects a much bigger issue: the NBA has a star participation problem. The All Star Game is losing intensity. The skills competitions feel like filler. The Dunk Contest has fallen apart. The league is trying desperately to revive the magic, but players are no longer motivated by the same things the legends were.
Michael Jordan wanted to win the Dunk Contest.
Kobe Bryant wanted to electrify the crowd.
Vince Carter wanted to put on a show no one had ever seen.
Today’s stars want to protect their brands, their bodies, and their images. In the age of social media, a failed dunk attempt can instantly become a meme, a viral joke, or a career long embarrassment. That fear is real. And it is crippling the contest.
The Future Of The Dunk Contest Can It Be Saved?
The Dunk Contest is at a crossroads. The league has three options:
Revive it with superstar participation.
Transform it with global professional dunkers.
Let it slowly fade away in relevance.
Right now, we are headed toward Option 3.
And Draymond Green sees it clearly.
But there’s hope if the NBA is willing to make bold changes. They could double or triple the prize money for star participants. They could create a superstar only format. They could find ways to incentivize global marketing benefits. They could involve fan voting in selecting participants. They could add wild cards for professional dunkers but structure it like a “Pros vs. NBA Players” showdown.
Whatever they do, it has to be dramatic. Because the contest cannot survive on Mac McClung alone. It cannot survive without names that matter. It cannot survive if fans keep saying, “Who is that guy?” during the most important event of All Star Weekend.
Draymond’s frustration is the frustration of millions of fans. He wants the contest to matter again. He wants the stars to step up. He wants NBA players not fringe athletes to represent the NBA’s biggest stage.
And until that happens, the Dunk Contest will continue to be a shadow of what it once was.