The NBA All-Star Game will be hosted by the Phoenix Suns in 2027, and owner Mat Ishbia is working hard to get players more interested in competing. He wants stars to compete in the three-point and the slam dunk contests like they used to. So, one way he might try to entice players to compete is by pledging extra prize money for the winners, but he might not be able to do that.
Ishbia was on the most recent episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” and committed to offering a $1 million prize to the winners of the three-point and slam dunk contests. Then, another $1 million to charity in each event. However, while it sounds good in theory, there would be some hurdles to making it happen.
“Let's get the best guys in,” Ishbia said. “Let's make it awesome.”
However, officials from the NBA league office and the players' union also told ESPN that such a prize would not conform to the existing bonus structure in place for players.
Ishbia did not consult the league office before making the offer, sources said. But he is motivated to find a way to get more stars into the events overall, and if he can get this approved, it might work.
The last time a current All-Star won the Dunk Contest was in 2011 after Blake Griffin lit the basketball world on fire and jumped over a car to win the contest.
This year, the NBA All-Star Weekend events were seen by many as a mixed bag. The Miami Heat's Keshad Johnson won this year's Dunk Contest in Los Angeles. Then, Damian Lillard, a nine-time All-Star, won his third 3-point contest in the past four years despite not playing one game this year due to an Achilles injury.
Jaxson Hayes did a warm-up dunk in the actual competition, and it was widely panned across social media and in the NBA world. Then, Jase Richardson almost got seriously injured trying to do a dunk. The actual competition between Keshad Johnson and Carter Bryant got interesting, but it was too little too late. If Ishbia can pull this off, it would be a massive win for the NBA and its audience.
