Back in 2016, the All-Star Game felt like a real showdown, not a casual stroll in Vegas. The game has lost that spark, buried deep in some abyss. Today, it’s more giggles than grit, more selfies than swats. The dunks? No, Aaron Gordon. No Zach LaVine magic. That missing part needs to come back. This is where Carmelo Anthony is dreaming big. A bigger bounce. and an even bigger leap of faith. Look around, and you’ll find Cooper Flagg. Your 2025 No. 1 pick. Right on time.

Now, Melo is stepping off the hardwood and into the spotlight at NBC Sports this fall. He’s joining the NBA on NBC squad with Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller, bringing fire to the studio at least once a week, playoffs included. And yes, he’s streaming too—catch him dropping takes on Peacock.

Therefore, on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Melo laid it all out for Jermaine Dupri and Rudy Gay. Everyone has established that the Slam Dunk Contest has lost its soul. So, fans now dream of a LeBron James versus Carmelo Anthony showdown. He compared it to baseball’s Home Run Derby and said All-Stars should show up and show out. Mac McClung got love, but the torch belongs to the big names.

“Now that I’m on NBC and we have the All-Star Weekend, it’s like, I wanna see the Ja. I wanna see the Ant Edwards, he has to do it, at least once. Ja, Ant, Zion. You get those three in it,” the ex-NBA star clarified. Moreover, if you pick a few rookies, then? “Get Flagg there.” And yes, Cooper Flagg is, once again, back in the conversation! “Flagg could jump; he got some hoops. You get Flagg. But I wanna see VJ Edgecombe and Bailey in the dunk contest.” But here’s the thing: Melo would rather see the Baylor prodigy, Edgecombe, taking those crazy dunks than Cooper. Why?

“Put Cooper in a skills challenge. But I wanna see VJ in a dunk contest. Why? Because he’s a dunk contest, He’s very explosive, he can jump out of the gym, he’s creative when it comes to his dunks, and also he’s a rookie who’s gonna take that very seriously.”

The Slam Dunk Contest isn’t dying because teams said no. It’s the players. Melo made it loud and clear. “The teams don’t got nothing to do with it.” Stars just want to chill, kick back, and soak up All-Star Weekend. No warmups. No dunks. It’s cool until the crowd starts yawning and the legacy of flight fades into slow motion.

So what brings the juice back? According to Melo, forget the cash prize. Go wild. Think luxury wheels. “Give the winner a Lamborghini. Winner of the dunk contest gets a Bentley.” Flashier than a trophy, louder than applause. But even that won’t cut it without pride. Somewhere in all that flash, someone has to care. Because without that love for the dunk, the whole contest stays parked.

And if the vets keep waving from the sidelines, it’s time the young guns roll up their sleeves. Melo’s looking at you, Ja Morant. And you, Anthony Edwards. And yes, Zion too. Stars built for air. They’ve got the bounce, the edge, the spotlight. All they need now is the will to jump in and carry the torch forward.

Cooper Flagg alone wouldn’t be enough to revive the lost spark of the All-Star Games

Remember one thing: the NBA fans know no mercy. They are blunt when they hate something, and equally giving when they love something. And now Cooper Flagg is the sensation among them. Yes, the biggest names like LeBron, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are in the twilight of their glorious careers. And someone truly has to take over the torch they’ve been carrying for decades.

“Like a Ja or an Ant or a Zion got to come out and want to be known as—okay, so this is what I’m saying. I don’t know this incentive thing. This is what you do: Do you love what you do? Because we ain’t going to keep watching if it keeps going down. That’s the problem,” Jermaine Dupri expressed.

Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony shared,  “I’m a big Ja Morant fan, and I remember late last year or the middle of the season last year, he was like, I’m not dunking no more. And there’s this weird connotation. But then he’d come back and do a bang on Wemby and stuff like that.” He continued: “And it’s like, what? Take pride in it. Just do it one time. Be known as the guy. Be like, yo, if Ja Morant on the first week—he’s the guy I want to see in it. If he said, I could beat Zion in a dunk contest, let me and Zion go and put this on our backs. We’ll make it the main event.”

The most interesting thing about Morant is that his insane dunks once frightened the light out of former US President Barack Obama. And maybe that’s the kind of spirit the All-Star Games need now. The All-Star Weekend needs a jolt, not a jog. Melo knows it. The fans feel it. And Ja, Ant, Zion hold the key. Thus, throw in Cooper Flagg and let VJ Edgecombe fly. Because pride still beats prizes. And the dunk contest? It’s waiting for a new face to own the air.