LeBron James explains why he never took part in dunk contest

Apr 4, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts to being called for a foul against the Utah Jazz in the last minute of the fourth quarter at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout his career, many have wanted to see LeBron James participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Despite that, he has never actually done it, and it has been a long time since he ever entertained the possibility of doing it.

In a recent interview, James explained why he has never felt eager to take part in the dunk contest. He said it was simply never one of his career goals.

LeBron James told @BallySports why he never wanted to participate in the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest:

FULL QUOTE:

"I don’t think it was something I wanted to accomplish in my career; it’s not a goal of mine and it never was coming into the NBA to be a part of the Dunk Contest, you… pic.twitter.com/dFJDKoPEsh

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) June 12, 2023

“I don’t think it was something I wanted to accomplish in my career; it’s not a goal of mine and it never was coming into the NBA to be a part of the Dunk Contest, you know?” James told Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports. “Making the NBA All-Star Team was, being the league MVP, winning Defensive Player of the Year, winning NBA Championships? Those were some goals of mine. The NBA dunk contest was never a goal of mine, so it wasn’t something that I had too much passion for.”

James has said he would win if he ever did take part, but ruled out his participation as early as 2012. He has received some criticism for this, but it’s clearly something he is at peace with.

We may never see it for real, but we have seen what James could have done in a dunk contest, at least in his prime. It’s a shame, but he clearly is not changing his mind.