Agent Rich Paul: LeBron James is under no obligation to join the Slam Dunk Contest; even if he won, people would claim it was rigged.

Lakers superstar LeBron James was selected for the 22nd All-Star Game of his career in 2026, yet despite being a perennial All-Star, he has never participated in the Slam Dunk Contest. Many, including A. Smith, blame James for the contest’s decline, but his agent Rich Paul believes his client is in a no-win situation.

On his “Game Over” podcast, Rich Paul boldly claimed that if James had actually competed and won the dunk contest back then, the public reaction would have been negative. “If he won, people would just say the competition was fixed,” Paul said.

Would online trolls say that? Definitely. Would LeBron haters like Beal deny that achievement? Very likely. But the broader basketball community would not think that way. Many find this claim somewhat ridiculous.

Although saying James “ruined” the dunk contest is exaggerated, he probably should have participated at some point. Before him, legends like Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and Vince Carter all took part, and they helped make the dunk contest the highlight of All-Star Weekend.

Rich Paul expressed disagreement with this opinion on the podcast and revealed that James seriously considered joining the contest several times.

“There were several occasions when he decided to participate, but then he sprained his ankle or something similar just one or two games before,” Paul explained. “Then at some point, you think, ‘Forget it, I won’t do it.’ That was his choice… I think people always assume that because others did something before, you have to do it too. That’s probably how it works in sports, but I don’t agree.”

“I don’t see it as a regret. I think it would have been exciting for all of us to see him compete, right? But it’s not a regret because he’s under no obligation to take part in the dunk contest.”

LeBron considered entering the dunk contest as early as 2005 but withdrew due to soreness in his left ankle. In 2009, he initially announced he would compete in 2010 but ultimately did not participate.

Although injuries accounted for some years, over his 23-year career, James had many opportunities. The 41-year-old star simply chose not to participate and has explained that the dunk contest was never among his goals.

“I don’t see that as something I want to accomplish in my career; it’s not my goal. Since entering the NBA, participating in the dunk contest has never been on my target list,” James stated. “Being an All-Star, winning regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and championships… those have been my objectives. The dunk contest never was, so I’ve never been very passionate about it.”

The NBA once offered $1 million to bring together James, Carter, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady for a dunk contest showdown, but it never happened. Carter said he was the only one among them willing to participate, making it a huge missed opportunity to see all four compete together.

Now nearing the end of his career, the only dunk contest James has ever entered was the 2003 McDonald’s All-American dunk contest, where he won with a perfect score of 250 points.

As for the 2026 dunk contest, the participants are Carter Bryant, Jaxson Hayes, Keyshawn Johnson, and Jace Richardson—none of whom are star players. Critics of James will still blame him for this lack of star power.