Breaking News: Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Participants Announced
Superman will be backPerhaps I missed something, but did the NBA just announce on the sly during halftime of the Magic/Hornets game who was going to be in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star 2009?
Dwight Howard is back to defend his crown, going up against Rudy Gay, Nate Robinson and a fourth and final challenger that YOU get to decide, choosing between rookies Joe Alexander, Rudy Fernandez and Russell Westbrook. You can vote HERE.
Who are you going to vote for?
December 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
A-Slam says:
It would be interesting to see fernandez in the dunk contest, but Alexander has my vote
December 25th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Marci says:
Nate Robinson again?
December 25th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
smity far away says:
4 contestants is weak… but that’s the way it is. maybe alexander because of the stories of his athletic dunks off court but if not him then westbrook…unless rudy can bring sergio to assist on every one of his attempts…
December 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Coop says:
What a load of rubbish; Nate has NOTHING left, Howard is NOT a good dunk contest dunker and Gay? Jesus, take me back to Oakland would you?
P.S If Heir Stern has country and western on at halftime I will switch off for good.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Octopus Jonny says:
JA fo shooo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0zJEiRCfWY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH1_tVBwahQ&feature=related
Kid leaps out the building. I’ve heard he has been absolutely terrorizing the rim in practice this year too. It’s too bad he missed most of preseason or else there would be plenty more youtubes of him in the NBA.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Amar says:
lmao @ fernandez . . . whatever, all the portland hype (60 people think they’ll win the nw division?) . . . ronnie brewer is a way better dunker, and has more dunks than rudy . . . only thing rudy has is his jew fro’ is what keeps the nba execs in NYC all happy.
btw, merry christmas all.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
stephen a says:
ILL TAKE BRIAN WESTBROOK SEEING HIM AT UCLA I KNO HE HAS SOMETHING LINED UP. WAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOW AT THE JEW FRO COMMENT
December 25th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
GEE...Yo foot WAS on the line! says:
Really not interested in seeing Nate go over and over and over and well you get the point.
Joe Alexander got to be in! I really wish they could replace Nate.
Still should be a good one, that Dwight walks away with again.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Sheedfan87 says:
Even though Joe probably gets my vote, I’m not sure Ronnie Brewer is a way better dunker than Rudy? I must have missed something, and you must have missed a few things too…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47VLce11WDM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceR6LdsvfRw&feature=related
December 25th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
original2k9 says:
russell westbrook because he is black…,dunk contest is an all-black thing and always will be,LMAO
December 25th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Ross says:
Dwight and Nate need to give it up already. They don’t need the exposure.
December 25th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Amar says:
re: rudy “over” dwight in the olympics . . . well, kevin johnson dunked over hakeem, should KJ have been in the dunk contest? deron williams dunked over kaman and tyson chandler, is he dunk contest material?
re: catching a back door alley oop and putting it down . . . really, it’s a nice in game dunk, but it’s not like that would get it done in the dunk contest. if you think they are the same thing then you are misguided on this point.
brewer with a windmill (need to be able to palm the ball to pull off really good dunks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwMZgCHSeCc&feature=related
rudy’s jump up and fall down dunks are great, but check out the hangtime here for brewer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8cpVuKKO9o&feature=related
brewer’s 6′11 wingspan give him crazy extension — as seen in how he gets this bad pass and finishes the oop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfWeEddMkcw
as of the 24th, brewer had 36 dunks, and fernandez has all of 10 . . . awesome! http://www.82games.com/0809/FGSORT16.HTM (i had to use ctrl+f to find rudy on that list)
December 25th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Amar says:
rudy f on this list is purely a portland/oden hype thing + the desire of the NBA to champion international “stars” in this league to promote basketball’s growth overseas.
he’s very athletic and can dunk, but he’s not in the same group as a rudy gay, let’s not forget the facts.
December 25th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Austin Burton says:
They’ll give it to Rudy for the international appeal. Alexander doesn’t even play, so I’d pick Westbrook over him. I like Rudy, but what did he do in last year’s contest to earn a return trip? And I can’t say anything bad about my main man Nate.
I would have gone Dwight, Nate, Al Thornton, and LeBron (oh wait…), maybe C.J. Miles
December 25th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Kevin says:
What about Jamario Moon???
December 25th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Amar says:
I like moon, but i haven’t seen enough of him play this season to think he deserves it this year.
i’d love to see a dunk contest of eddie curry, oliver miller, big baby and tractor trailor
December 25th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Amar says:
man . . . look at how high up he gets on this first dunk, elbow at the rim? insane hops . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIgFIWyU_Og
December 25th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
…she falls down a well- eyes go crossed, gets kicked by a mule- they go back straight. I don’t know
December 25th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
schooled says:
Octopus Jonny says:
JA fo shooo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0zJEiRCfWY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH1_tVBwahQ&feature=related
that is some of the weakest shit i have ever seen. i see people at the gym half his size doing shit like that with their eyes closed. you kidding me? every damn year there is this “white hope” and joe alexander just happens to be “that guy” this year.
December 25th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
blah says:
i’d go for rudy fernandez only because i’d like to see an international dude get in there, and he’s killin on my squad on 2k9.
I’d prefer to see gay (only because i felt he didn’t get a chance to show what he’s got last year), fernandez, joe alexander, and dwight i guess. Not really dwight but you gotta let the reigning champ get a chance to defend.
December 25th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
chaos says:
Man revamp the whole thing. If nate is back, why not bring back iguodala? He had some of the sickest dunks in the contest against nate, plus the field need to be extended to six….this should be it:
Ronnie brewer
Joe alexander
Rudy gay
Nick young
Andre iguodala
Gerald green
December 25th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Dagomar says:
I’m voting for Lebron. Wait . . . .
December 25th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
nkgnkgnfdkngfdkjn says:
Joe is tiight. I’m voting for him as much as possible.
December 25th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Sheedfan87 says:
I never said Rudy belonged, I just said I didn’t think Brewer was a way better dunker than him. And I can assure you a windmill is not winning the dunk contest in 2009. Sure he has hops, but Rudy is a hell of a dunker too. He has 10 and Brewer has 36 because one has a jumper and the other doesn’t.
December 25th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
jcf says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg6W5b3ETVg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rccDK1VmksM
Who still watches the NBA dunk contest to get your fill of dunks? I would rather watch the Team Flight Brothers cats do their thing.
Golden Child and Guy Dupuy would nail everyone in the last 5 dunk contests to the cross. Both 6′3 and under, but as a caveat they are only one trick ponies (dunkers).
December 25th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Amar says:
yeah, a windmill isn’t going to win the contest, i agree, i linked to it to show that he could actually palm the ball and swing it around in the air . . . you know, he has the ability to bring a lot more style than a stealth dunker like fernandez.
10 dunks in his nba career total and he’s a candidate for the dunk contest? that’s really weak / pandering to the international level. heck, i’d rather see hedo or kirilenko in the dunk contest than some rookie who has a three point shot and a back door cut — and less dunks this season than some scrubs.
December 25th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Amar says:
and what does bringing up the issue of having a jumper or not come into play in a discussion on the validity of someone’s candidacy in a DUNK CONTEST anyway?
December 25th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
barons beard says:
JR Smith needs to be included
Would rather see JR, Nick Young, Iggy and maybe Moon going at it than this line-up tbh
December 25th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
JJ says:
Would like to see Rudy Fernandez in it…Didn’t know that he was that good of a dunker, so it will be nice to see what he has.
Overall big guys ain’t that good to watch in dunk contest, but it was fun to watch Howard last year with his superman outfit
December 25th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Amar says:
if it has to be four people, a dream four would be VC, LeBron, Josh Smith and Iggy. I fail to fall under the spell of all things portland related, and will myself to believing that a rookie with 10 dunks in his nba career is more deserving of being in the dunk contest than some of the guys listed in the comments section here . . . JR would kill him in a dunk contest.
December 25th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
heartbreaker85 says:
they should raise the stakes (like a mill) up a bit and invite j-rich, iggy, vc and kobe.
lebron is not a dunk artist. he is a power dunker. no style, even when he tried to do the karl malone ‘hand behind the head while dunking’ it didnt’ look good.
VC is the best dunk artist in the NBA since he got drafter.
‘wtf you gon say now t-dot?’
December 25th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
dj ho says:
the list sucks. superman and rudy gay will be good, but the rest of them….
i want to see guys like Lebron, JR Smith, Iggy, J-Smoove, Jordan Farmar, D Rose.
They need to take Nate out of the dunk contest
December 25th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
JCARR "K1N6" says:
Yes a latino has a chance to take the dunk contest crown!!! VOTE RUDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
vh says:
It’s fun watching midgets like Nate dunk, keep him in!
December 26th, 2008 at 2:31 am
BxBaller says:
Why ya’ll hating on Nate. His dunks have been more creative than anything that the BronBot would have done.
December 26th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Benjiboy says:
yeahh..i agree nate i nasty..wait and youll just see what he will bring to the table…
Rude Fenandez is the best player of the 3 and that doesnt make him the best dunker..but i still want to se what hes got.,.. i think that he could do some nice stuff..
December 26th, 2008 at 8:05 am
QQ says:
@ 4:
Come on now. Howard not a good contest dunker?
The double dunk.
The behind the backboard windmill
The Superman kinda’dunk.
That’s NO contest. Best lineup since VC destroyed the comp back in 2000.
December 26th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Coop says:
QQ,
a) The line-up is horrid as most people have alluded to.
b) The Superman one was nice, and I loved the cake one but they were novelty dunks; He won because he’s charismatic and everything else was pretty poor.
For me, Stern is partly to blame for this clusterfuck; the 2000 contest was so great because there were 6 guys, all with different styles/attitudes, and 3 rounds. It was dunk after dunk and there was a will to win. Now it’s just guys going through the motions and the occasional good idea. Weak!
December 26th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Amar says:
I think they need to bring back 8 guys, the first round what they used to have . . . you have the stage all to yourself, and you have 45 seconds to do at least 3 dunks. your top three dunks from the first round are added up and then the top four go on. then the 2nd round is a head to head thing (top combined score against #4 combined score; #2 vs. #3)
that’s what I think though . . .
December 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:
did someone really say they want to see JORDAN FARMER? are we serious? and moon is decent but if people are sayin rudy didn’t show much then moon didn’t either. Nick Young def deserves more love. I mean hes a much much much better dunker than rudy fernandez. Rudy catches one dunk and people make it like hes some dunk specialist.They need to do like college and bring it back to 8 guys. Joe alexander won’t make it past the first round if hes in. He’ll get his “white guy dunking points” but hes not creative. I say dwight takes it again unless he misses dunks…lol flight brothers trying to advertise..please.
December 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
_ says:
what a great birthday present for joe.
lol.
hope he get’s the chance, i think i’ll be voting for him.
December 27th, 2008 at 1:14 am
z says:
fcking dissapointing…nba…cmon…
December 27th, 2008 at 11:59 am
ab_40 says:
this lineup sucks
nate robinson is gonna do the same shit over and over and over again… rudy gay ain’t impressing nobody. dwight got his let it go they’re nog gonna set up a 12 ft. basket. Joe alexander can’t even dribble a basketball, rudy is nice but not a dunk contest level dunker… maybe westbrook… one way or another the game field is WEAK
December 27th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Melo2TDot says:
Id muchhh rather see Jr Smith back in it and throw in Nick Young instead of Nate and whoever else
December 27th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
tim says:
Rudy Fernandez is gonna win it…. He’ll probably come out and Dunk over Gasol or something….He’ll put out the Spanish Flavor on something….
December 28th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Joe says:
Moon sucks this year, but we didn’t get to see him dig into his bag of tricks last year. He was such a disappointment in the contest last year. If Nate is in it this year, they might as well bring back Moon as well.
And, why is it only 4 contestants?! Fuck you, Sprite!
December 28th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Jermianeownzdis says:
i say trevor ariza needs to be in this years, not rudy gay again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTJ5AptyPs
January 10th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Ovais says:
Why do the dunk contest participants have to be younger players? Why not bring back Vince if he’s interested? Okay, he may not be, but at least explore it!
I like the idea of having more than 4 participants but with only 1 redo. There are alot of great bench players that can dunk.
As for Nate Robinson, the only reason he’s in it (again!) is because he plays for New York and his short stature makes the dunks (when he makes them) look more sensational.
This dunk contest looks boring. No sizzle whatsoever!
January 16th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Spain says:
Rudy Fernandez is from Europe so you can stick the it-has-lost-its-real-meaning “latino” up ur mexican indian ass.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Bob Kenny says:
WHAT ABOUT LEBRON?!?!?!