Calling the 2022 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest a downer would be an understatement. That's just how bad it was.

There were already no high expectation on the event given the lackluster showing it provided in the past few years, but fans hoped it would be at least a little bit better than the recent iterations. The bar is not that high. However, in what is seemingly a growing trend now, the competition always finds a way to disappoint.

There were very few decent dunks, and it just lacked energy overall. The multiple attempts on dunks in a bid to be creative completely backfired and killed what's already very little energy. Obi Toppin, the eventual champion of the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest, showed showmanship, but he didn't really have a thunderous dunk that made a mark and would make people remember it for the next decade or so.

Maybe Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon set the bar too high in 2016, but it's hard to blame fans for expecting more given how popular the contest is. There is a reason it's scheduled last in All-Star Saturday night. It should have been the perfect way to close the day.

With that said, several fans took to Twitter to share their reactions and savage memes to diss at the NBA and its latest showing.

NBA Memes perfectly summed it up with one photo. Everyone certainly grew tired for that banger of a dunk that would make them stand on their feet. Unfortunately, it never came.

Sports broadcaster Madelyn Burke also couldn't help but compare the reactions of Shaquille O'Neal from the legendary 2000 Slam Dunk Contest to the 2022 version. Simply put, the hype just wasn't there anymore.

Other savage memes highlighted just how bad the 2022 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest was. To put it nicely, it fell short of expectations … well, way way short.

For what it's worth, the Chicago Bulls' mascot–Benny the Bull–probably won this with one a booming statement. If his comments were a dunk, it would've been an easy 50. Benny the Bull compared the dunk contest to Cleveland, which we all know is far from being a compliment.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are hosting the All-Star Weekend, so his tweet couldn't have been any more perfectly timed.

In all seriousness, though, things certainly need to change to get people excited again for the NBA All-Star dunk contest. The old format just isn't working anymore.