'Imma put Ja Morant up there': Human highlight reel Dominique Wilkins endorses Grizzlies star to win Slam Dunk contest if he enters
During the 1980's, Dominique Wilkins was one of the most athletic forwards in the NBA. Recently, the Hall of Famer opened up on who he'd like to see compete in the Slam Dunk contest.
While he was a star for the Atlanta Hawks, Dominique Wilkins competed in the dunk contest. In fact, he was in one of the most iconic performances in history. Back in 1988, he went head-to-head with a young Michael Jordan. That is when "his airness" did the iconic dunk from the free-throw line.
As one of the major faces of the dunk contest, Dominique Wilkins was asked his thoughts on the current group of players in the NBA. When asked who he thinks would win if he entered, Wilkins went with Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
"Imma put Ja Morant up there," said Wilkins.
When it comes to the best high-flyers in the game, Morant is one of the first names mentioned. Off-the-court issues aside, he is arguably the top in-game dunker in the league right now.
Despite competing multiple years, Wilkins only won the slam dunk contest on two occasions. The first came in 1984, followed by his second win in 1990.
Dominique Wilkins speaks on the current state of the slame dunk contest
Back in the day, all of the league's top stars competed in the Slam Dunk contest. However, that is no longer the case today. This year's winner, Mac McClung, was a two-way player who spent most of the year playing in the G-League.
Prior to making his choice among current players, Dominique Wilkins gave his thoughts on the product now. During his playing days, the top stars competed because they wanted to know who was the best. Wilkins feels today's players don't have that same kind of desire.
"I think the problem is I don't think anyone wants to know who the best is," Wilkins said. "We wanted to know who the best was. When Mike and I went head up, we wanted to know who the best was. It really wasn't about us, it was about the fans."
Another thing that Wilkins mentioned is that he thinks players decline to compete now out of fear of it hurting their legacy.
"A lot of times I think they feel it's going to mess with their legacy, and it's not."
Back in the day, stars like Dr. J, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were taking home slam dunk trophies. Now, the most recent winners are lesser-know players like McClung, Obi Toppin and Anfernee Simons.