Declining an invitation to participate in the dunk contest, LeBron James instead opted in for the Skills Challenge… and while it is disappointing that LeBron won’t be dunking, the real sad news here is that no one in the NBA has realized that the All-Star Skills Challenge sucks hairy giraffe balls.
Here’s what this means: You’ll get to see LeBron jog half-speed through a few cones, throw basketballs through little targets, maybe hit a jumper and maybe do a somersault or something. Exciting, isn’t it?
I know I bitch about this every year, but man… the NBA does some horrifically sucky things during the All-Star events. The Skills Challenge is about equal in entertainment quality to watching Lenny Wilkens get a prostate exam. And I’m sure there will be some damn event in which Magic Johnson, Lisa Leslie, and some non-Kobe Laker – probably Luke Walton, with an outside shot at Smush Parker – collaborate on some competition that not even their parents give a fuck about.
More on this later, I’m sure.
The Big Picture
would you be into watching LeBron getting a prostate exam? don’t know about you MJD, but i’d be fucking enthralled to see Lebron do a somersault.
And while LeBron will be pulling some cool gymnastics moves, my boy Nate Robinson from the classiest university this side of the Mississippi will be throwing down dunks and talking shit about Gary Coleman.
January 31, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Jim
On the plus side, the skills competition now has the star power that today’s superwriters need to get excited about sports.
January 31, 2006 at 6:24 pm
BigBoi
Go Nate, get yo jam on baby. Little big man from the Rainier Beach Vikings baby. You know what would be nice?? Nate played DB in college for my DAWGS, I would love to see Nate stick Steve Smith, can some team just give Nate a one day contract the next time they play the Panthers? That would be awesome. MJD you probably didn’t see it but liitle dude made a game saving INT in the apple cup against a WR who was like 6’2″ it was dope, he’s got insane hops. This should be one helluva dunk contest.
January 31, 2006 at 6:24 pm
J.E. Skeets
“I know I bitch about this every year, but man … the NBA does some horrifically sucky things during the All-Star events.”
Say what!? You didn’t like last year’s Big & Rich — & a Black Cowboy & a Handicapped Midget’s — half-time performance? Wow. I’m shocked…
January 31, 2006 at 7:24 pm
SLaird22
Nate Robinson is sweet. If LeBron was in the dunk contest, he’d do a bunch of so-so dunks where he swings his arm all the way back and everybody would give him the title just because he is LeBron. His dunks on the SportsCenter top 10 are usually much weaker than the dunks ranked below it.
January 31, 2006 at 7:45 pm
asilv
lebron rejecting is no surprise. its like a status thing for these big name guys, after vince carter, the youth took over. but me as a fan, am used to it by now. josh smith vs. andre inguodala with little nate as an X-factor is definitly worth watching, im not so sure about hakeem warrick though.
keep it up MJD
January 31, 2006 at 10:19 pm
the mighty mjd
Thanks for bringing up Cowboy Troy, Skeets… I mean, I’ve had my issues with David Stern. But I don’t think anything he’s done bothers me as much as him allowing those fucking guys to play the All-Star game last year. I still have difficulty talking about it.
February 1, 2006 at 1:02 am
VC
Charles Barkley was right last year when he said, whoever hired these guys should be fired.
Do you think my selective memory kicked in to make me forget about Big and Rich?
Re the Skills Challenge, now we get to see Nash and LeBron. Just add Kobe, Billups and Dirk and it would be the ulitmate MVP showdown.
February 1, 2006 at 6:27 pm