NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest Odds, Prediction

For as zany as the celebrity game can get, for as impressive as it is when the best three-point shooters show off their skills, nothing beats the now legendary Slam Dunk tournament. There is no denying that it’s one of the greatly anticipated occasions of NBA All-Star Weekend.

Who can forget Dwight Howard’s Superman leap? Blake Griffin jumping over a car while a choir sings “I Believe I Can Fly”? Vince Carter executing the dunk to end all dunks, looking into the camera and – correctly – announcing that the competition was over?

Every edition carries with it the possibility of new, unforgettable memories that will grow more iconic as time goes on. So, without further ado, let’s dive into what’s in store for fans Saturday night in Utah and on tv.

Don’t forget to check out of NBA All-Star Weekend odds and props page for more action.

Rules of Dunk Wars

Four competitors, two rounds of sensational, acrobatic athleticism. Each competitor performs two dunks per round. Their efforts shall be evaluated by five judges. The latter will rate each dunk on a scale of zero to 10, with the averages of all five scores from the judges serving as that attempt’s grade. It’s like Olympic figure skating but with a lot more bravado and accoutrements.

Our 2023 evaluators are:

-The Mailman, Karl Malone

-Jamal Crawford, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner

-Lisa Leslie, eight-time WNBA All-Star

-Harold Miner, a two-time Slam Dunk winner

-Dominique Wilkins, nine-time NBA All-Star and two-time Slam Dunk winner.

The Slammers and their Chances

The four competitors in this year’s edition are:

-Kenyon Martin Jr. of the Houston Rockets

-Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers

-Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans

-Jericho Sims of the New York Knicks

Kenyon Martin is a very bad man when doing his thing in the paint. Just a mean, mean customer. His dunks are performed with a level of ferocity and forcefulness suggesting it may be better to simply stay out his way. While his two-handed slams in the face of poor defenders are noteworthy, it’s his left-hand slams that earn the highest plaudits. The way he put Clippers centre Ivaca Zubac on a poster along the baseline earlier this year was a thing of beauty.

Trey Murphey III has been one of the consistent highlights during a tumultuous season for the New Orleans Pelicans. One word that describes his strikes to the basket is “fearless.” His 6’ 8” height gives him a considerable advantage over many defenders in the paint, almost making his slams look too easy. Nonetheless, given that he’s been invited to this year’s edition of the Slam Dunk tournament, surely he has something interesting up his sleeve.

Jericho Sims is a Goliathan specimen of an athlete. Not only is he 6’9” in height, but he has the muscle mass to boot. He first showed off what he had to offer in the 2021 Summer League when he performed an emphatic alley-oop against the Raptors. Sims gains leverage in the air in ways that don’t seem physically possible when it comes to human beings his size. Whatever he’s thinking of doing at this year’s contest, it carries the potential to leave its mark just for how someone of his stature can lift in the air as he does.

Finally, there is rookie Mac McCLung out of Texas Tech who represents the 76ers. Since he has played the fewest NBA minutes of this quartet, he is the X-factor. That said, watching highlights of what he accomplished in the summer league as well as in high school is quite the revelation. At 6’ 2”, his air time and leverage impress, as does the shocking power with which he attacks the basket.

Prediction: Jericho Sims should win based on his experience and inspiring ability to use his physicality to the best of his abilities.