(Photo : Stacy Revere/Getty Images) INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – Mac McClung (#0) of the Osceola Magic participates within the 2024 AT&T Slam Dunk contest in the course of the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 17, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has skilled a decline in each star presence and total enchantment in recent times, with the Three-Point Contest changing into the spotlight of the Saturday slate of occasions of the All-Star Weekend over the previous few years.
Multiple elements have performed a task on this shift, together with the absence of high-profile gamers within the dunk contest, issues for participant security, and the broader evolution of the sport in direction of emphasizing three-pointers.
However, there are nonetheless methods to revamp the competition to make it thrilling once more.
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3 fixes to revive NBA Slam Dunk Contest
1. Incorporate fan voting
One of the persistent points affecting the NBA Slam Dunk Contest is the inconsistency in judging, leading to cases the place outstanding and memorable dunks obtain decrease scores than much less spectacular slams.
This discrepancy grew to become significantly evident in essential moments, such because the 2020 occasion the place then Orlando Magic ahead Aaron Gordon arguably deserved to win.
A possible answer to deal with this downside is the combination of real-time fan voting instantly after every dunk.
This method would contain a 30-second window for followers to take part in a poll-like voting system, with the preliminary 15 seconds allotted for followers to submit their scores and the following 15 seconds for the NBA’s technical group to course of the information.
This fan enter may then contribute to 40 or 50 % of the overall rating, complementing the scores the panel of judges supplied.
2. Make Slam Dunk Contest a group contest
Another method to boost participant engagement is to remodel the NBA Slam Dunk Contest right into a team-based competitors, just like the format seen within the Kia Skills Challenge on Saturday, February 17.
In this situation, three groups would compete, every consisting of gamers such because the All-Star group (Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey, and Scottie Barnes), the first total picks group (Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, and Paolo Banchero), and the Indiana Pacers group (Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Benedict Mathurin).
This method would alleviate the burden on particular person gamers, requiring every to carry out just one dunk in a three-round format. The cumulative scores from these dunks would decide the general group winner.
Additionally, a separate accolade, comparable to “Dunker of the Night,” might be awarded to the person who carried out essentially the most spectacular dunk-decided by fan voting.
3. Give out substantial money prizes
Another technique to attract high expertise into the competitors is providing substantial money prizes, whatever the gamers’ huge multimillion-dollar earnings every season.
The concept is rooted within the perception that further monetary incentives are at all times engaging. These incentives may attain as excessive as $2 million and be sponsored by varied firms.
Consider the precedent set by Los Angeles Lakers gamers who fiercely competed for a $500,000 particular person money prize in the course of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament earlier within the marketing campaign.
Introducing a seven-figure reward for a single evening may elevate the joy and depth of the competitors even additional.
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