Could Anthony Edwards be the player to save the NBA dunk contest?

TNT's Reggie Miller believes the contest is missing star players like Edwards.

Growing up as a basketball fan, NBA All-Star Saturday night was one of the most exciting nights on the calendar. You saw all your favorite players. You saw the NBA 3-point competition and the advent of the skills challenge. But the one thing that everyone tuned in for was the dunk contest.

The dunk contest was the main event because there were things you wouldn't see during a game. Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins went blow-for-blow in 1988. Cedric Ceballos dunked with a blindfold in 1992. Isaiah Rider went between the legs to become the first Timberwolves player to win it in 1994 and Vince Carter's performance in 2000 is one of the most iconic All-Star shows of all time.

It was must-see television. And then there was Saturday night.

This is not a slight to Mac McClung, who captured his second straight dunk title after defeating Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. But McClung is currently in the NBA G League while Brown was the first All-Star to participate in the event since 2017. The rest of the field was Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and fellow G-League player Jacob Toppin – and the imagination left Lucas Oil Stadium faster than an Indy car speeding down the freeway.

The performance left many with a question that has been asked for decades: "How do we fix the dunk contest?"

TNT analyst Reggie Miller had the simple suggestion of getting the stars involved and he particularly mentioned one name: Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards.

Reggie Miller was passionate about that plea to get Anthony Edwards in the NBA Dunk Contest next year. pic.twitter.com/TLp1cOFiyh

— SneakerReporter (@SneakerReporter) February 18, 2024

"I would have loved to see Anthony Edwards," Miller said. "[He's] an All-Star. He's here. Be in the dunk contest. You've got to have name players in the dunk contest."

Miller's suggestion should have more than just the attention of Timberwolves fans. Edwards is a rising star who is gathering props from his peers and even national television personalities who spend their time fixated on the NBA's big market franchises.

Edwards does fun things on the court and has charisma for days off of it. Steph Curry even said that Edwards could be a face of the NBA when he, LeBron James and Kevin Durant retire. People want to see Edwards play and the dunk contest would be another springboard for his soaring popularity.

Edwards' creativity could also be a boost for the dunk contest. While two of Saturday's participants jumped over Shaquille O'Neal, Edwards told anyone who would listen that he planned to shoot left-handed the entire weekend. 

While Miller and Smith groaned in disbelief as Edwards clanked 3-pointers during Saturday's skills competition, the 22-year-old brought a youthful energy as he explained his decision to TNT's Allie LaForce.

"It's always about fun in the All-Star Game," Edwards said. "...We're getting a break away from basketball but it's basketball so I'm going to have some fun with it."

Shooting left-handed is a different kind of energy but could you imagine what type of "LOL" moments Edwards could cook up in his brain if he was placed in a dunk contest? Some would say that Edwards' intensity comes from being in game action but competition could also spurn something we haven't even thought of, sending what was a sleepy crowd on Saturday night into a frenzy.

It would also break the recent tradition of stars turning down the dunk contest. Kobe Bryant only participated in one dunk contest, winning it in 1999. Fans begged LeBron James to enter the dunk contest for years but he never participated in the event. 

The emphasis on being healthy for their team always took precedence but it should also be considered that it's super rare for a player to be injured solely from a dunk contest.

Tracy McGrady sprained his wrist during an attempt during the 2000 dunk contest and the only other notable incident occurred in Australia when Rolan Roberts tore his pectoral muscle while trying to imitate Carter's elbow dunk during the National Basketball League's dunk contest in 2005.

After suffering the injury, Roberts told reporters he didn't want to do the contest but was persuaded by his coach at the time and his reasoning could be why NBA stars are reluctant to compete.

"I was just trying to put on a show and I paid the price," Roberts told the Sydney Morning Herald after the injury. "...I'm not a showtime dunker. I'm a game dunker. ... I wanted to pull out but I knew there was no way they (the NBL) were going to let me out of it, because who else (have) you got?"

The injury came as his team, the Sydney Kings was aiming for a fourth straight NBL championship but the Kings won the title anyway becoming the first team in league history to do so.

Others may point at Carter, whose track to superstardom was derailed by several injuries in the early 2000s. But even he went on to have a long career, playing 22 seasons before retiring after the 2019-2020 season.

Minnesota sports fans will certainly imagine what could go wrong if Edwards competes in the dunk contest but it's about as likely as a scene from one of the Final Destination movies coming to fruition.

The dunk contest is supposed to have jaw-dropping moments like when Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon battled so hard in 2012 that judges couldn't decide a winner. On Saturday night, we saw a G-Leaguer that probably won't be seen again until the NBA calls him up next February. 

The dunk contest is supposed to be fun and a star like Edwards could be the player who finally revives it. Of course, The Ant Man himself would have to be a believer before any of these dreams become reality. 

"I don't have no tricks. I got power so yeah I don't think people want to see that," Edwards said during Saturday's media session in Indy. 

I have bad news, I don't think Ant is wrong though https://t.co/3ECJaMhQfL pic.twitter.com/jkdKhG9qrM

— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) February 18, 2024

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports