Julius Erving has a theory about why the NBA slam dunk contest isn’t what it once was.
The dunk contest isn’t the event it used to be, Erving says, because mascots are ruining the thing. Dr. J says it’s impossible to expect players to live up to the things mascots do when using trampolines.
No, seriously. He actually said that.
“The mascots messed it up,” Erving said, via ESPN.com. “It was great seeing regular human beings, even though they were 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, running and dunking a basketball. When mascots started doing it with all the trampolines and all the crazy stuff and falling on the floor, then it became more like the X Games. The players can’t live up to that.”
Erving was selected to be one of the judges at this year’s dunk contest Saturday night in Brooklyn. He certainly looked like he spent most of his time thinking about those darn mascots, as he looked borderline bored at times during the contest.
However, he had to have been impressed by the showing of Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Zach LaVine, who won the contest with some highlight-reel dunks that pumped up the Barclays Center crowd.
Thumbnail photo via Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports Images
