The 2024 NBA Dunk Contest was definitely… a dunk contest. Like many of it's predecessors, the finale of All-Star Saturday proved to be disappointing yet again. Mac McClung stole the show with some nasty dunks, but lackluster showings from other competitors  soured the once-hyped contest again.

The NBA Dunk Contest being an utter disappointment has been an unfortunate trend in the last few years. With the exception of the short-lived Zach LaVine era of 2015 and 2016, there hasn't been an entertaining NBA Dunk Contest in the last 10 years. Vince Carter may have revived it back in 2000, but the future of it is looking bleak again.

It doesn't have to be that way, though. The NBA has continually found ways to add a little flavor to the tried-and-tested formula of All-Star Weekend. Who's to say they can't do that for the Dunk Contest? Here are some ways that the league can make the next Slam Dunk Contests exciting again.

Limit/remove prop usage in NBA Slam Dunk Contest

This one might be a bit controversial, but here's the reasoning behind it. Props in the NBA Dunk Contest have been an artistic crutch for dunkers. Why attempt a difficult dunk, when you can add pizzazz to the build-up towards your dunk? John Collins' botched airplane dunk and Aaron Gordon's failed drone dunk of years past come to mind.

When you look back at the greatest NBA dunk contest dunks of all-time, you'll notice that only a few of them have flashy props. Think of every Zach LaVine dunk in 2015 and 2016, or Vince Carter's legendary 2000 masterpiece, or Jason Richardson's improbable Eastbay. Most of these dunks are amazing because of the degree of difficult for each dunk.

Contestants should be limited to only one dunk that involves props. These include, but are not limited to: people to leap over, cars, and/or costumes worn by the dunker. You can't really eliminate props completely from the Dunk Contest: the spinning one-handed dunk from a mascot by Aaron Gordon was ridiculously hard. We just want dunkers to make the dish taste better instead of making the plating look great, so to speak.

Include Instagram dunkers

Instagram has been a popular vehicle for amateur hoopers to show off their wares. Go to any basketball fan account, and you'll see a compilation of sick dunks from someone you barely even know. There's a whole ocean of untapped potential with these guys, and they just need a stage.

With that in mind, why not put them in the NBA Dunk Contest? These guys are amazing dunkers who spend their time crafting other ways of slamming the ball. Putting them in the Dunk Contest will allow them to give their all and prepare meticulously for a dunk. That will for sure make a more interesting contest than what we have now.

As an added bonus, players might be more incentivized to try harder with their dunks. Do these pro NBA athletes really want to be shown up by an amateur player in the Dunk Contest? An NBA vs. Instagram type format might make for a compelling Dunk Contest.

Get the star players for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

At the end of the day, though, there's only one great solution for the NBA Dunk Contest, and it's one that many fans have been calling for: let the stars play. Many of today's NBA stars are prolific dunkers: Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, and Ja Morant are some of the hot names fans want to see on NBA All-Star Saturday.

Historically speaking, though, NBA stars have shied away from the Dunk Contest. LeBron James in his prime was one of the most popular picks to compete there. So was Kobe Bryant, amongst other stars. However, these big-name guys have always avoided playing for the sake of preserving their body.

Jaylen Brown may have joined the Dunk Contest, but he's not enough. Not to mention that he disappointed in his showing as well.

It's understandable for these competitors to prioritize winning over some petty Dunk Contest. However, that doesn't make their refusal to play any less painful to hear. Maybe one of these young guns will step up and play in the NBA Dunk Contest. For now, though, we might have to endure more of this current format…