Four first-time dunkers are competing in the All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest this year, and they’ve got 28 years of history to live up to when it comes to dramatic dunk debuts.

Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams, Paul George and Jeremy Evans take part in Saturday night’s Sprite Slam Dunk Contest in Orlando, where they’ll be chasing the precedent of the best dunkers in their first contest. From Spud to Kobe to J.R. and Jordan, we bring you the top 10 of those moments here. Read More »

Earlier this morning, it was confirmed that with Iman Shumpert‘s left knee injury, he wouldn’t be participating in the dunk contest this weekend and will be replaced by Utah’s Jeremy Evans. That’s great news. We’ve been trying to #LetJeremyDunk for quite a while. But why isn’t anyone talking about Chase Budinger? The dude is a monster volleyball player, has a recorded max vertical of 38.5 inches, and recently dunked over Yao Ming. Read More »

The field is set for the 2012 NBA Dunk Contest, and… Jeremy Lin will be there! Ah, not what you might expect though. He’s been included to be the helper for his teammate, Iman Shumpert. Joining Shumpert in the dunking field will be Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams and Paul George. Underwhelming? As SBNation’s Mike Prada tweeted, these four are tied for 41st, 45th, 97th and 149th in dunks this season. That doesn’t mean it’ll be a weak contest, but it’s leaning that way. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 25 points, 24 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks last night, his sixth 20/20 game of the season. He shot 64 percent (9-14) from the field, 70 percent (7-10) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Howard’s averaging 25.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.8 blocks in his five games so far this month. Read More »

Oklahoma City didn’t play Thursday, but try telling Thunder fans it wasn’t a victory. Guard Russell Westbrook went all Boomer Sooner by signing a five-year, $80-million extension. The deal brought praise for GM Sam Presti and hailed Westbrook, slammed for being a “shoots-lots” guard, for his unselfishness: “Instead, Westbrook delivered to his teammates, his organization and this city a blessed gift. Expansion of the Thunder’s window of opportunity to turn Oklahoma City into Titletown. … No promises beyond 2016, but until then, barring catastrophic injury, an oil-and-gas bust or general manager Sam Presti losing his senses, the Thunder is set for five years of excellent basketball,” the Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel wrote. Read More »

Despite the fact that Yao Ming is gone from the NBA, the Houston Rockets will be virtually unchanged next season – assuming they can re-sign its only free agent (Chuck Hayes) when the NBA resumes. New head coach Kevin McHale shouldn’t really hinder the production of these players, who formed a surprisingly effective offensive machine in 2010-11. With a potent backcourt, a blossoming swingman and some intriguing fill-ins, the Rockets have more than their share of fantasy appeal for the next NBA season. Read More »

As I’ve said before, volleyball might be one of my favorites sports to watch. I’m dead serious. Some of these dudes can fly. They might not be as graceful as the best basketball players, but the process of jumping 40 inches in the air, and then smashing a ball down towards the faces of an opponent is pretty dope. And if you’ve never been to a women’s volleyball game, you seriously need to reevaluate your stance on life (instead of having stuff like lingerie basketball, why can’t we just have a solid professional women’s volleyball league with TV contracts and teams all across the country?). Read More »

If ever there was a story that was very Kobe-like, then the tale of how his game at the Drew League came to be is definitely it. If you aren’t up on your summer league scheduling, the Drew League finished recently with a championship. Kobe’s people called just before the title game was about to be played, saying he wanted in, or wanted the chance to play. Of course, no league is going to throw him in for the championship. That’s just wrong. So instead, they adopted the idea of a celebrity/All-Star/random game for Kobe. Read More »

Those of us who can remember the early ‘90s know how on-top-of-the-world Mariah Carey used to be. The Music Box version of Mariah was young, beautiful and supremely talented. Then somewhere along the way Tommy Mottola, Glitter, “MTV Cribs” and Nick Cannon happened. A more recent example of a fallen diva is, of course, Christina Aguilera, whose career arc can be summarized as “Genie in a Bottle,” “Dirrty,” Burlesque and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Today, Mariah and Christina are replaced by the likes of Adele, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Ke$ha. Read More »

Every year in the NBA there are 16 teams that make the playoffs and 14 who are relegated to the NBA Lottery. Those 14 teams hope that their draft pick can be a building block for the future and help their team become one of the 16 in the playoffs the following season. This article evaluates how well this year’s lottery teams have drafted the past five years: Read More »