LeBron James: 'I was mad at myself' for sitting out dunk contests
LeBron James, the NBA's most popular player, has never participated in All-Star Weekend's most popular event, the dunk contest. On Friday, speaking with former teammate Dwyane Wade, James expressed remorse for having never taken part in the contest.
"It's been some years where I've said I was going to do it, and didn't do it," James told Wade in an interview posted on NBA.com. "And then actually watching the dunk contest, and was mad at myself, because I believe it would have been great. Now, at this point, I'm over the hill now. You ain't going to see my no time soon. It's over with."
• Westbrook explains why he's never been in the dunk contest
James also joked with Wade that he is "an in-game dunker" and that the dunk contest has "never been something of my flavor."
Though he hasn't taken part in the official All-Star contest, James did challenge his Heat teammates to a dunk contest after practice last February.
James, 30, is six years older than the oldest competitor in this year's dunk contest, Nets center Mason Plumlee. Since 2000, only one player 30 years old or older has participated in the dunk contest, Knicks guard James White in 2013.
- Dan Gartland
