ALL STAR WEEKEND - DUNK CONTEST

The All star weekend is coming and is looking more promising than in recent years. Lately, the All Star weekend was considered more of a vacation and award ceremony for players and staff alike, it was less about competing between players throughout the whole league.

The Dunk contest is an all time favorite, as fans saw the likes of Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Vince Carter and many others perform superhuman-like feats of athleticism. But in the last couple of years there has been a lack of taste for the dunk contest.

In 2011, KIA became a main sponsor for the NBA and in commemoration the dunk contest that season featured a dunk with a KIA car, where Blake Griffin would jump over it and win the 2011 dunk contest. Many speculate that the contest was rigged as many leaks of Blake Griffin winning prior to the all star weekend were made available to the public. For a lack of a better term, the dunk contest became obsolete.

Flash forward to the 2015-16 season, as Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine are making themselves known as grade A dunkers in the NBA. Both young, athletic, and on young teams that had the potential to become great, this dunk contest was more intense than anyone could have imagined. That night both players put up amazing performances as they were neck to neck for the title. LaVine ended up winning the contest, which not many agreed with, but still he is one of the several back to back dunk contest winners.

Nowadays, the dunk contest is forgotten. Many players have the faculties to participate and put up quite a show, but the risk to reward ratio is too big, players don't want to risk getting injured at such an important point of the season, where any team can make a playoff appearance . Additionally, the dunk contest requires a lot of creativity, and there is just so much one can do while being hung in the air for less than a second.

This year should be an interesting dunk contest, as the contestants contain some of the highest verts known since the NBA combine.

Shaedon Sharpe and Mac McClung will both be participating in the contest.

Shaedon Sharpe is a rookie for the Trail Blazers and who reportedly recorded a 49 inch high vertical leap on his official NBA status! He is a fierce rebounder and an even fiercer dunker at only 198 cm tall.

On the other hand, we have Mac McClung, a 188cm tall guard that has shown bounce. He is currently averaging 19 ppg in the G league with the Delaware Blue Coats. Mac has already had a couple clips where he showcased his skills, playmaking and athleticism. It will be interesting to see him go against Shaedon Sharpe who has a height and vertical leap and see if he can put up a fight despite their lack.

If you are planning to watch the dunk contest this year make sure to tune in at 4:00 AM CET this Sunday.