Vince Carter Reveals Crazy Slam Dunk Contest Scenario With Kobe Bryant, LeBron James

Mar 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) guards Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) on the court in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It's no secret that the NBA Slam Dunk Contest doesn't exactly draw superstar talent anymore; these days, the participants are mostly role players, and often players many people have never heard of.

This year is no different, as the four participants include Jaxson Hayes (Los Angeles Lakers), Carter Bryant (San Antonio Spurs), Keshan Johnson (Miami Heat) and Jase Richardson (Orlando Magic).

Even though players can become household names with their performances in the Slam Dunk Contest, like Nate Robinson and Mac McClung have done in the past, most of the time, it is a disappointment, which has forced the league to try to figure out a way to incentivize some of the NBA's best players to participate in the annual contest.

NBA Tried to Put Together a Slam Dunk Contest Filled With Superstars

.@mrvincecarter15 says he agreed to a $1M dunk contest vs @Tmac_213, Kobe and @KingJames.

“I felt like I was the only one who said yes” pic.twitter.com/xWfdxkoKc5

— Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) February 11, 2026

On the new Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady podcast, the two Hall of Famers reminisced about when the NBA offered them and Kobe Bryant and LeBron James a $1 million apiece to participate in the Dunk Contest.

"Do you remember? Carter asked McGrady. "The phone call?"

"The million dollars? McGrady asked. "For sure."

"They wanted me, you, Kobe and Bron, for sure for a million dollars," Carter said. "I said, 'I'm in if everybody else is in.'

"No, no, no," McGrady said jokingly. "I'm good. I'm good."

"I felt like at the end of the day, I would love to get confirmation, but I feel like I was the only one that said yes," Carter said.

"That was the problem," McGrady said. 

"I never got a phone call back, and it kind of faded away," Carter said.

There's no question that the Slam Dunk Contest between those four superstars would've broken some records and would've been the most-watched Dunk Contest in league history, which is why the league was willing to pay $4 million to make it happen.

That's how desperate the NBA has been to reinvigorate the Dunk Contest, because players don't seem to want to risk embarrassment with a bad performance. The most recent star to throw his hat in the ring was Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, but he ended up losing to McClung, who won three straight Dunk Contests before bowing out of this year's competition.

McClung Reveals Why He's Not in This Year's Dunk Contest

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung celebrates with the trophy after winning the slam dunk competition during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Apparently, McClung's potential participation in the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest scared off some other participants, leading him to back out, via Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype.

"Originally, I told everybody I was done," McClung said. "I retired after the third year, and they're good friends of mine. We're in contact a lot, and they were talking about this next year, and I was pretty much saying: 'I'm not going to do it'. But I prepared anyway, just in case maybe I would. I think there was just back and forth of us being like this, and then they were calling me, being like 'People didn't want to do it if I was doing it', and I thought it's best if I just sit out this year and let it be, no matter what."

Only time will tell whether the Slam Dunk Contest gets a boost in star power, but as of right now, it's a competition between players trying to make a name for themselves rather than players being household names coming in to compete.