Getty Image / Keith Birmingham / MediaNews Group / Pasadena Star-News
It’s 2023. The grass is green, the water is wet, and Stephen A Smith is mad at LeBron James over something LeBron James had nothing to do with.
In the wake of Mac McClung winning the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and having one of the best 5-day stretches of his life, Stephen A Smith got mad. Because of course he did.
Stephen A. Smith getting angry on TV is par for the course anytime he’s in front of a camera. And it’s not that Stephen A. is negative 100% of the time. He dishes out compliments every day. It’s just those moments don’t bring in the ratings for Stephen A. Smith like this one where he blames LeBron James for ruining the NBA Slam Dunk Contest…
Stephen A. Smith’s rant about LeBron James is also available on Twitter should you prefer Twitter over YouTube:
"[LeBron] has ruined the slam dunk contest."
—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/n8bDMM4XCP
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 20, 2023
This First Take clip of Stephen A. Smith comparing LeBron James to #2 behind Michael Jordan was only 12 days ago:
In his 20 years of NBA service, LeBron James has never competed in the NBA’s iconic Slam Dunk Contest. There was a time when the Slam Dunk contest was THE premier event of the NBA All-Star Weekend.
Those days are gone. But LeBron James isn’t to be blamed for the decline of the Slam Dunk Contest. He’d be good at the Slam Dunk Contest, sure, but there’s no indication he’d be the greatest ever and for that reason he’s likely stayed away. There’s no reason to have a ‘didn’t meet expectations’ checkmark on his career.
For anyone that missed it, here is Mac McClung going OFF during the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest: