The NBA All-Star break is around us at that time of the year. Fans get to see numerous contests and activities from the celebrity All-Star game to the Jordan Rising Star challenge. So, as each day progresses, the events get even more exciting. And one of the most anticipated events that take place during the All-Star weekend is the NBA Dunk contest. Although, the league once tried to rig the dunk contest, as per one of the best dunkers in NBA history.

Just to be clear, the only way the league tried to rig the dunk contest was to pay certain athletes to participate in the dunk contest. Not script out the results and who would win but just entice some impressive dunkers to go head-to-head with each other.

How the NBA slam dunk contest could have been like

According to Toronto Raptors legend Vince Carter, The NBA once tried to create a dunk contest between now-Lakers icon LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady along with Vince Carter – by offering them $1M each. In the past, some of the most iconic battles have taken place during the slam dunk contest between the likes of MJ and Dominique.

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Unfortunately, this offer never really saw the light of day as the players the league was considering were some amazing high-flyers. Fans on the other hand seemed a bit enraged as they felt that the league may have low-balled them with the offer.

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One fan tweeted, “5 mil would’ve been enough. maybe stop being cheap and it would’ve happened.”

Another fan commented, “Wasn’t enough especially during the height of each of their respective careers.”

Here are a few more reactions from fans on Twitter.

Fans in the comments section seemed to blame LeBron James for the dunk contest not taking place as he has a history of dodging the event.

Was the event scratched due to LeBron James?

Out of the four players, only LeBron James had never participated in the dunk contest. Despite having an amazing bounce in his jump and ferocity behind his slams, James would’ve been a perfect fit for this contest. However, many believed that the contest relies heavily on creativity rather than explosiveness. And that may have been the reason why LBJ decided not to take part in it.

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As for Kobe Bryant, he became the youngest player in league history to win the slam dunk contest in 1997. However, the overall outing of the event was not well received by fans. Which led the league to replace the event in its entirety the following year.

No dunk contest took place during the 1998 NBA season. The All-Star weekend the following season was cut short due to a lockout. Then it was Vince Carter along with Tracy McGrady who participated in the 2000 Slam-Dunk contest. And Carter managed to restore the prestige of the event with dunks that are iconic to this day.