In a recent press briefing following the New Orleans Pelicans’ victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Zion Williamson, Pelicans’ star player, disclosed that he contemplates joining the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
However, he set a pretty clear stipulation on his participation – “I gotta do my part and make the All-Star Game,” “If I’m in the All-Star Game, I’ll do the Dunk Contest, but if I’m not, I’m not doing it.” Williamson declared.
"If I'm in the All-Star game, I'll do the dunk contest." -Zion 😱🍿 pic.twitter.com/5kilIDHgCz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 6, 2024
Williamson, a distinguished powerhouse on the court, has successfully secured an All-Star team slot twice in his sports tenure.
However, mysteriously enough, he was conspicuously missing from the renowned Dunk Contest on both occasions.
One could attribute Williamson’s absence from the Dunk Contest during his All-star selection in the 2022-23 season to a perturbing hamstring injury.
A setback this fierce in January saw him benched for the remainder of the year, thus hindering his Dunk Contest plans.
Williamson, now 23-years-old, has often engaged in talks about stepping into the limelight of the Dunk Contest.
Repeating his interest to Riley Jones from COMPLEX in February 2023, he assured, “put heavy consideration” into the forthcoming Dunk Contest participation, strongly hinting at his intended involvement in “next year’s” event.
The 2024 Slam Dunk Contest, however, passed without his participation due to his absence from the All-Star team amidst tough competition in the Western Conference frontcourt.
This year’s contest witnessed an NBA All-Star participate for the first time since 2017, with Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown making an appearance.
In contrast, the last two championships were clinched by G Leaguer Mac McClung. Last time an All-Star team member actually partook in the dunk contest was back in 2014 when John Wall created history.
Despite battling what is considered his worst season amid a challenging career affected by injuries, Williamson continues to maintain commendable numbers.
In this season, he has an average of 22. points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per match in 51 starts.
Although his .611 true-shooting percentage is the lowest.
