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.
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 onFirst 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.
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